Southern Hymn
by Copperpelt
Summary: A nation is on the verge of Civil War, pitting the North and South against each other. Ideals are different on both sides, creating only more controversy and bringing them closer to a confrontation. But if two people are able to put their differences aside amidst the fighting, then can others do the same as well? Story based off the song Southern Hymn by Samuel Hazo. R&R PLEASE!
1. October 1860: Debate Of War

_Shun_

I stepped out of my home and into the sunlight, and was immediately greeted by my closest friend, Dan. He came running up to me and asked, "Have you seen what the newspapers have been saying?" He stuck the day's paper in my face. I lowered it down and said, "How can I read it when you have it that close to my face?"

I took the paper and read the headline. _Future Of The Nation Unknown. _I rolled my eyes. The North and South had been at odd ends for a while now, and I was growing tired of it. I tossed the paper back at Dan and said, "We aren't going to go to war. Buchanan will work something out with the South and everything will go back to the way it was."

Everyone was worried that our nation would be plunged into a Civil War, but I didn't see it happening. Although, things had been on the rocks lately, and people weren't even sure why the North and South were disagreeing.

A lot of people thought it had to do with slavery. Yeah, that was a factor, but there was so much more that was contributing to this. Things such as the dispute with the territory that was aquirred during the Louisiana Purchase, and whether they would become slave states, or not. There were also the matters of States' Rights and the increase in the tariff taxes.

It was all so ridiculous. People could find any kind of excuse to argue, and it made me sick at times. None of this had to happen. If the North and South would just let the other do what they wanted, we wouldn't be in the mess we were in now. Dan flagged down a house carriage and climbed in.

He asked, "You coming with me to town, or not?" I sighed and climbed into the seat next to him. Dan gave the carriage driver the name of where we were going, and the driver nodded. Dan asked, "What makes you so certain that we aren't going to go to war?"

I sighed from aggravation. It was difficult to tell at times if Dan wanted this nation to go into a bloody war, or work out its differences. I told him, "I just know. We have some rational people running this country, and they'll work it out to where both sides get what they want."

Dan stared down at the newspaper that he still had with him. Without looking up, he said, "You really think so?" I nodded, wishing that he would end this conversation and go onto another topic. "Dan, I've told you before, I don't care about the other side's problem."

The brunette sighed and remained quiet the rest of the trip. I looked out the window of the carriage and saw presidential flyers hung up everywhere. That was another thing that was tearing the country apart. Lincoln was for the freedom of the slaves, and the South didn't favor his views too much.

The only other choice was Stephen Douglas, but the odds didn't seem to be in his favor. Slavery was the top issue of both of their capaigns, but only one would get their way. _And only a few more weeks till election day, _I thought to myself.

The carriage stopped, and Dan and I climbed out. We walked up to the local bar and took a seat at a booth. I asked, "Why are we hear again?" Dan leaned back in his seat and said, "I want to hear what people are saying about the possibility of the war."

I shook my head. _Should have known._ Jake walked up to our table and waved. "Hey, guys. Didn't expect to see you two here today." Dan moved down the seat and said, "Take a seat and talk to us, man." I wished for nothing more but to get as far away from these two as I could.

Jake was like Dan in almost everyway; even down to the concept of a Civil War. It was bad enough I had to listen to Dan talk about it, but two of them babbling on and on, I wasn't able to handle. The minute they started, I sighed. Jake stopped talking and asked, "What's up with him?"

Dan rolled his eyes and said, "He doesn't think a war will break out." I glared at the person who was my friend, and began to wonder why I even hung around him. Jake abruptly stood up from the booth and said, "You seriously don't think that a war will break out? Why? All the signs are pointing to it."

Dan was trying to get Jake to sit back down, but to no prevail. I asked him, "Why do you care if it does? Huh?" Jake sat back down and said, "Because we need to put those Southerns in their place and let them know what they're doing is wrong."

I crossed my arms over my chest and said, "Yes, Jake. The whole slavery thing _is_ wrong, but it's not why there's so much talk about it. The abolishionists don't care for the well-being of the slaves. They only care about whether owning a person is a danger to values and evil, or if it's profitable and protected by the Constitution. That's why it's gotten so much recognition."

I knew what I was talking about. I kept in touch with the recent politics and such. Jake scratched the back of his neck. He was at a loss of words. I told him, "Quite frankly, I don't care what either side does. If the South wants to break away, then they can. Let them do whatever they please. But it's not worth starting a war, and President Buchanan knows this. That's why there is going to be no war."

Dan tapped his fingers on the table and said, "You're dead set on this, aren't you?" I ran a hand through my hair, feeling a headache starting to form. There was no convincing these two.

Jake looked out the window behind us and said, "I have to get going before it gets too dark." He stood up and left the table. Dan told him, "Bye, Jake." I just sat there, not saying anything.

_Alice_

My grandfather opened the carriage door, revealing yet another large Antibellum home. I sighed and stepped out, making sure that my dress didn't catch on anything. As we approached the doors of the home, I asked, "Do I really have to do this again?" He nodded.

I was here to meet another marriage hopeful that my parents had picked out. It had to be the third this week, and I was growing tired of having strangers placed in front of me, asking for my hand in marriage. The doors were opened by two slaves. I rolled my eyes.

He was a plantation owner, just like the last four suitors. Then again, most of the people in the South were. I found my marriage hopeful standing in front of a large staricase, dressed in the basic plantation owner garments.

I walked up to him, and he bent over, placing his right arm over his chest. "My name is Klaus. I'm pleased to meet you, malady." He took my hand and kissed it. I wanted to snatch my hand away from him, but that would be considered rude. Beside me, my grandfather shook his head.

He knew I didn't like doing this, but it wasn't like I had much choice. Klaus stood up and said, "Would you like to take a look around?" I shook my head and said, "No, but thanks for the offer." I had seen one too many homes like this, and they all looked the same to me now.

My grandfather asked, "What do you think of this suitor, Alice?" He knew what I thought of him; just another stranger that I was being forced to decide if I wanted to spend my life with. But if I said no, then I would just have to do this all over again.

That was stressful enough on me. Unable to handle another meeting like this, I said, "I think he may be the one." The words stung my tongue after I said them, but I didn't want to continue to do this. My grandfather looked at me, knowing all too well I was lying.

Klaus clapped his hands together and said, "Oh, this is wonderful. I promise, I will make you the happiest woman in all of the great South." He took my hand again, kissing it in the same place. My grandfather leaned over and whispered, "Alice, you don't have to marry him if you don't want to."

I didn't want to, but I also didn't want to meet another hopeful in the morning. I told him, "I know, but I want to end this once and for all." He nodded, fully understanding why. My grandfather escorted me back to the carriage. Before climbing inside, I turned around and looked at the place that would become my new home soon.

I sighed and climbed up the steps on the carriage, and closed the door. The carriage started to move, and the Antebellum home became smaller as we got further away. I couldn't help but think that this was such a wonderful time get married.

There was the winds of war drifting through the wind, and I knew that it wouldn't be long before one side attacked the other. These were just such confusing times for us all. "Your parents will be happy that you finally chose a suitor that they picked," my grandfather said flatly.

They just wanted what they thought was best for me, despite if I thought it was or wasn't. A stray leave found its way into the carriage through the open window. It landed on my lap, brown and brittle as the changing seasons took its life away.

At that moment, I felt like that leaf; no choice on how I wanted to live, at the mercy of what the rest of the world told me to do. I stuck my hand out of the window, and let the leaf go. The breeze took it away, and carried it somewhere else.

My grandfather cleared his throat and tried to strike up a conversation, that didn't have to do with my newly betrothed. He said, "I heard rumor that South Carolina is thinking about seceding. What a bunch of fools, don't you think? Don't they know what will happen if they do that?"

I did know. It would most likely spark a fight, that would soon ignite the whole powder keg, sending the country into a war. "Maybe Buchanan can do something in time and stop it from happening." Unlike most of the Southerners, my grandfather and I didn't want to see a war form. Nobody would win. But it seemed like people didn't care.

They wanted to try and show who was superior. That was the Nationalism that was taking place and tearing this country further and further apart. The carriage came to a halt, and my parents were standing outside of our home. It was a nice place, but nowhere near what the plantation homes looked like.

They stood in front of the stairs, looking eager to know the verdict of their daughter's latest proposal. My grandfather grabbed my hand before I stepped out of the carriage. He told me, "You can still call it off while you have the chance."

I smiled and said, "I know, but I'm going to put an end to this." I slid out of the carriage, straightening the skirt of my dress. My mother ran up to me and asked, "So, what did you say? Did you say yes?" I smiled and nodded.

My mother squealed with joy and said, "I was so worried we'd never find the right person for you. Come on inside. This calls for a celebration." She ran inside the house, and my father followed behind her. I turned around to look at my grandfather.

He looked somewhat disappointed, but I did what I had to. I shrugged my shoulders and gave him a smile, then walked inside of the house.

* * *

_Story title is based off the song Southern Hymn by Samuel Hazo. _o.o yes, i am a workaholic. X3 this story is going to require a lot of research (for it it going to be the most historically acurate story i'll ever write.) so **yes, there will be a lot of mentioning of slavery (since that is what most of the Civil War was about.) it's history, so i'm not meaning to offend anybody.** i also have the link to the _full story cover on my profile, along with the youtube link to the song._ check it out. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	2. November 1860: Uncertain Times

_Shun_

It was the main talk up in my home state of New York, and everywhere else for that matter. Lincoln had won the election against Douglas and would take the presidency after Buchanan sometime next year. Many of the abolishionists weren't pleased with the new leader of the country, and even more of the Southern states threatened to leave the Union and go out on their own.

A rapid knocking came from the front door of my house. I left the kitchen table and opened the door and saw Dan standing on the doorstep. "What are you-" He pushed past me and walked right into my house. I shook my head and shut the door. "Can I help you with something?" I asked, slightly annoyed by my friend's sudden intrusion. He had another newspaper with him, and he tossed it on the kitchen table.

"Still don't think there's going to be a war? The South is pissed cause of Lincoln winning the election." I picked up the paper and saw the headline was about Lincoln's victory. The subtitle beneath the headline read, _South Displeased, Could Bring War?_.

I sighed, feeling that it was too early to argue with Dan about this yet again. I slipped into a jacket and told him, "I don't care to get involved in this conversation again. I need to run down to the store and pick up some supplies. Either come with me, or get out of my house."

Dan decided he wanted to tag along. I didn't bother to flag down a carriage; it was just as quick to walk to the store and back. People were in the streets, cheering for the new president that would take office soon. It was just another person, that if he didn't do a good job, the nation would blame rather than theirselves for electing the wrong person.

I pushed opened the door of the store, hearing a little bell chime from above. I got what I needed and walked up to the cashier. Dan stood behind me, tapping his foot with impatience. My own patience was running thin with him.

I paid for the supplies and turned around to ask him, "Do you just enjoy seeing me about to rip my hair out?" Dan grinned and said, "It's amusing, I won't deny that." I shook my head and sighed, then picked up the bag of supplies I had purchased. It was getting ridiculous how much the prices of things were going up thanks to the tariffs.

I began to walk back to my house; Dan was still following me. Without looking at him, I asked, "Don't you have something better to do?" The temperature had dropped since we had left the store, and snow started to fall. Dan whined, "Great. I didn't want to have to shovel any snow this week. Why is the weather against me?"

I pulled the collar of my jacket around my neck with my free hand and told him, "It's not just the weather that's against you. I'm pretty sure there are a few people mixed in as well." Dan shot a glare at me, and I only smiled. He then said, "Well, I better get going. My mother will have a fit if I get caught out in this weather."

He turned around and jogged off to his house. I kept on my way, holding my jacket together around my neck to keep some of the warmth in. When I got back to my home, I went ahead and put the supplies up where they belonged, and started a fire in the fireplace.

I sat down at the kitchen table and sighed. There couldn't be a war, but as of lately, I had been started to wonder if there would be. I still was a firm believer that an agreement would work out, but even that was becoming debatable to me.

A war in this day and age, it was just so hard to even imagine. Our society was beyond fighting each other, right? _Right?_ I then thought about how the people in the South had enslaved their fellow man. If they did that, then maybe our society wasn't so civilized after all. I leaned back in my chair and sighed. These times were just so uncertain.

_Alice_

I sat in my living room with two of my closest friends; Runo and Julie. Word had finally reached them about my engagement with Klaus, and they surprised me by dropping my house. They looked happy for me, but if I only I felt the same way. Julie clapped her hands together and said, "Oh, I can't believe you _finally _found someone to marry! I'm so happy for you, Alice. Now if only Billy would ask me to become his wife."

Poor Julie had been dead-set on Billy proposing to her for the longest time. It was common for the silver-haired girl to start talking about how she would have their wedding and such. Runo and I just tuned it out most of the time.

It wasn't like we hadn't heard it all before. Runo smiled and said, "I'm happy for you too, Alice, but you don't look all that thrilled about the engagement." Was it really that easy to see that I didn't want to marry Klaus? Julie playfully pushed Runo and said, "Don't be silly! Alice is just so excited, that she doesn't know how to show it."

I looked around to make sure my mother or father weren't around to hear our conversation. When I remembered they had gone into town, I said, "Actually, I don't really want to marry Klaus." Both of the girls turned and looked at me.

"Then why are you marrying him? You could have told him no, Alice," said Runo. Julie jumped in the conversation and said, "Yeah! I don't want to see you walk down that aisle and say your vows to somebody you don't love. It wouldn't be right, and how would Klaus handle it when he realizes that you don't want to be with him?" I suddenly felt guilty.

I hadn't even taken Klaus' feelings into consideration. "I never thought about it like that. I was just so tired of going all over the South to meet with complete strangers and being asked whether I wanted to marry them or not." It hadn't been long ago that I finally realized that the choice of finding my own love, was out of the question as long as my parents had a say in it.

I smiled and told them, "I guess I'll just have to tough it out. For better or worse, right?" Julie and Runo exchanged a worried look at each other. There was a knock at the door, and I told the girls to wait a moment while I saw who was outside.

I opened the door and saw Klaus standing in the doorway. "Um, Klaus? What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting to see you." I tried to sound surprised and excited for his unexpected arrival, but I was failing miserably.

He took my hand and kissed it like he always did. He looked up at me with his blue eyes and said, "It's been almost a month since I last saw you. Am I not entitled to see my future bride?" I felt a blush cross my face, and I wanted it to go away. This was somewhat embarrassing to me. I turned around and saw Julie and Runo looked at us.

"Klaus, I'm glad that you want to see me, but I have company over right now. It would be rude for me to leave them without any warning." Julie and Runo then appeared at my sides without making so much as a sound. "We don't mind if she goes with you!" squealed Julie. I turned around and looked at them as if they had gone mad. Klaus smiled and said, "See? Your friends don't want to keep us apart. I'll be waiting by the carriage for you, malady."

He walked off, and I turned around, shooting deadly glares at them. "Why would you say that, Julie?" Runo placed her hand on my shoulder and told me, "This in a chance for you to call off the wedding with him. If you keep avoiding him now, then the only chance you'll have to talk to him is after you are married."

I now saw their reasoning, and I was thankful to have friends like them that looked out for me. "Alright, I'll call off the wedding." They smiled at me, and I walked out of the house. Klaus helped me up into the carriage, and climbed in the other side.

The driver, a slave of course, popped the reigns and the horses started to pull the carriage. The scenery changed from the lightly wooded area that I lived in, to the open fields of farmland. As we neared Klaus' home, oak trees lined the pathway that led right up to the front entrance on the house.

That was the only thing I liked about the Antebellum homes that I had been to; the trees. The carriage came to a halt, and before I could open the door myself, Klaus was already there and helping me out. He was chivalrous, but perhaps a tad too much.

I liked to do things on my own, and not have others lifting my fingers for me so I didn't have to. But Klaus was just trying to impress me, so I wasn't going to say anything. He took my hand and said, "I still owe you a tour of my home, malady."

I allowed him to lead me inside. Klaus showed me all the rooms in the massive mansion, nothing of which was new to me. They all looked the same, the only differences being taste in décor. "Come, I want to show you the garden," he said with a smile.

He escorted me to the very center of the mansion, where a courtyard resided. Trees and flowerbeds were everywhere, but thanks to the cold weather, the leaves were gone, and only the hardy plants kept theirs. A large fountain rested in the very center, its white marble standing out against the bright, green grass.

"It's beautiful," I told him. This was certainly something new to me. A few of the homes that I had been in had a fountain or two, but not a whole courtyard. I walked along the stepping stones and continued to look around. Klaus said to me, "When you're living here, you can spend as much time in this place as you want."

It felt like I had been stabbed in the chest. _When I'm living here. _I remembered why I agreed to go with Klaus to his home. It was to call off the wedding. I turned around to face him and said, "I have something I need to tell you." He stood in front of me, the boyish smile on his face.

"Yes, malady? You can tell me anything." I felt like a trapped animal. I had the words right there at my lips, but they refused to leave. Why? I didn't want to spend my life with this man. Then why couldn't I bring myself to call off the wedding?

Did I not want to hurt him? Did I not want to disappoint my parents again by rejecting another suitor? I wasn't sure. So, instead of saying what I came here to, I told him, "I think this will be my favorite place here."

Klaus smiled and said, "I think it will be too. Now, if you would excuse me, malady. I have some matters to attend to. Please, make yourself at home." He turned and left the courtyard. I sat down on the edge of the fountain and sighed. These times were just so uncertain.

* * *

trust me people, Alice and Klaus aren't going to be together. he's just the only one that would fit this role. o.o'' who else in the series acts like they should have been from this time period? exactly. check out my profile to see the full cover and song that the story is based off of. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	3. December 1860: The Great Divide

_Alice_

Julie and Runo were still dumbfounded by how I didn't call of the engagement with Klaus last month. I couldn't really explain it to them though. What would I tell them? That I was too afraid of how Klaus would handle knowing that I didn't want to spend my life with him?

Well, he would find out eventually, and I knew the damage would be much worse later than now. I sighed and wrapped up in my shawl before going outside. Even in the South, it could get cold enough that one needed to bundle up. But not cold enough to snow.

That was one thing that I wished to see in my lifetime; snow. The trees had lost all of their leaves now, and were nothing more than bark and branches. As I walked down the road from my house, a horse carriage rolled past me.

It came to a halt, and the door opened. A nearby neighbor, Murucho, popped his head out. "Good day, Alice," he said to me. He was the son of two plantation owners, and he wasn't to fond of it. He wanted a much more simpler life, like me. He didn't want the burden of running a plantation or any of the other things that went along with it. I smiled.

"Hello, Murucho. What are you doing out this way?" He stepped out of the carriage, telling the driver that he wouldn't be more than a minute or so. "Klaus invited me out to his home to talk. I also heard about your engagement to him. Are you excited?"

I fiddled with the loose strings on my shawl and told him, "I guess so. It's been kind of hard to know what I'm feeling as of lately." Murucho nodded. His driver cleared his throat, letting the short boy know that time was running out.

He smiled at me and said, "Well, I have to be going now, Alice. I'll tell Klaus I ran into you on the way to his home. Goodbye." He climbed back into the carriage, shut the door, and was on the move again. I waved until he was further down the dirt road, and I continued on my way.

Soon, I reached town. As always, I was greeted with friendly faces and waves. I returned the gestures back. Even with times like this, people were still kind to one another. I stepped into the local store, hearing the little bell chime above the door.

The cashier, Billy, looked up at me and smiled. His long, blond hair was tied up into a ponytail, making him look somewhat like a girl at first glance. He wiped down the counter and asked, "Morning, Alice. Can I get you anything?"

He was a true Southern gentleman, and didn't need a fancy home or plantation to be this way like a lot of them did. It was clear why Julie felt how she did towards him. I told him, "I don't know. But I'll tell you if I do."

He nodded and went back to cleaning the counter. As I scanned the items that were for sale, Billy asked me a question. "So, what's the deal with you and this Klaus fellow? Julie told me you were going to marry him, but didn't seem all that thrilled about it."

I ran my hand along a jar of fruit preserves, and sighed. If the whole town knew I was marrying Klaus, and didn't want to, then word would reach him in no time. I told Billy, "I just have too much going on to focus on the wedding."

Hopefully Julie hadn't told him about the fact that I picked Klaus cause I was tired of being displayed in front of strangers. Billy nodded and didn't say anything else about the subject. Maybe he didn't want to press it any further. I left the store without buying anything.

Riding on the back of a horse, was a messenger walking through the town. He could have gone through several other towns, spreading the same word he was about to give us. He halted the horse and shouted, "South Carolina has seceded from the Union! South Carolina has seceded and left the Union!"

His cheeks turned red from the cold air as he continued to yell his news for us. Cheers came from people standing in the street. They were the people who wanted the South to break away, and it looked like they were getting what they wanted.

The messenger yelled the same thing one more time, and went on his way. He knew that the news would finish spreading without him. I looked around and watched the happy faces on the people surrounding me. How could they be happy for what this would bring?

I shook my head and turned around to see a horse carriage heading my way. I stepped out of the way before I was trampled. It stopped in front of me, and the door opened. Klaus was inside. He got out and said, "I'm sorry about that, malady. My driver didn't see you at first."

The man in the front of the carriage bowed his head, a nervous look on his face as he did so. I smiled and said, "It's no problem. I should have been paying attention to where I was walking. What are you doing here though?"

I had never known Klaus to go into town before. He always sent somebody else for him. He took my hand and said, "I had sent somebody to your house earlier, but they told me you weren't there. Then, Murucho told me he ran into while he was heading towards my home. So after I finished my business with him, I set out to see if you were here, malady. And you were."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Billy standing outside of the store, cleaning the windows. But he kept sneaking glances at Klaus and I. They were glances that were questioning. Why was I with this man, when I didn't want to be?

I told Klaus, "That still doesn't answer my question." He chuckled. "Of course. How forgetful of me. I just wanted to invite you over to my house for dinner, malady." I felt so guilty. Klaus was trying to make this work, trying to build a foundation for us, and I was doing nothing.

I felt so selfcentered. "So? Do you want to come over?" he asked, his eyes filled with hope that I would say yes. I put on a fake smile and said, "Sure, Klaus." He smiled and opened the carriage door. "Alright, malady." I climbed into the carriage. Klaus shut the door when he got inside, and the driver put us in motion.

_Shun_

Dan walked into the bar, snow covering his hair and coat. He sat at the table with me and brushed the snow off of his shoulders. "That snow storm is intense," he said between chattering teeth. I didn't say anything to him, and only tapped my fingers on the surface of the table.

Dan took off his coat and knocked the snow off of it. He asked, "What's up with you? No smart remark or joke? You aren't sick, are you?" I glanced up at him and shook my head. When he got the last of the snow off of his coat, he slipped it back on. "Then what's up with you?" he asked.

I sighed. "I'm just thinking." Dan didn't seem convinced by my answer, but it was true. Word had reached us earlier that South Carolina had left the Union, the one thing that we had been hoping wouldn't happen. Because when one state would leave, then the others would surely follow. Then what would happen? Would we actually fall into a war?

As if I hadn't been doubting my previous statements before, I was now. I didn't want to let Dan know that I was thinking a war might break out now. If I did, then I would never hear the end of it. Dan leaned back in his seat and said, "My mom was wondering if you wanted to come over for Christmas in a couple of days. Neither one of us knew if you had plans or not, so we understand if you can't."

A waitress stopped by our table and asked if we wanted anything. Dan and I both turned her offer down, and she went on to the next table. "I'm actually going out of town to visit my grandfather for the holidays. But thanks for the offer," I told him. Dan nodded.

"I understand. How's the old man doing anyway?" he asked. I shook my head and told him, "I don't know. I haven't been there in a couple of years, and this is the first letter he's sent me in a while." He reached into my coat pocket and flashed the envelop that I had gotten the other day, then put it away.

I glanced up at the clock on the wall and saw the time. I had to get on a train in a little bit, or else I wouldn't arrive at my grandfather's on time. I stood up from the table, pulled my luggage bag that I brought with me out from underneath. Dan asked, "What's with the suitcase?"

I slung the bag over my shoulder and told him, "I'm leaving for my grandfather's today. Now, I have to go and catch my train." Dan nodded and I left out of the bar. I hurried towards the station, catching the train just in time.

After my luggage was put away, I took my seat and looked out of the window into the darkness that the snow storm had brought with it. I thought about a war tearing apart the landscape, and for the first time since all the controversy started, I felt like the worst might actually come true.

_Alice_

I was sitting out in the garden, ignoring the cold air that was nipping at me. Klaus had brought me back to his home for dinner, and I had gone straight to this place the moment I walked through the front doors. The garden just made me feel like nothing was wrong with the world.

I felt safe and carefree. Even with the winter taking the life from all the plants inside of it, I still felt the same as before. A servent walked out into the courtyard and cleared his throat to get my attention. I snapped out of my daydream, and looked up at him.

He said, "Master Klaus wanted me to inform you that dinner is being served." I nodded and the servent walked away. Not wanting to be rude to my hosts, I reluctantly left the garden. I easily found the dinning room, and Klaus was sitting at the table waiting for me.

He smiled and pulled my chair out for me. I took the seat and silently thanked him. Dinner went by with idle conversation. Afterwards, when the empty plates were taken back to the kitchen, I stood up and said, "Well, thank you for the dinner, Klaus. It was great."

I was eager to get out of there. As I started towards the door, I felt something grab my wrist. I turned and saw Klaus smiling at me. He said, "I have one more thing for you, malady. Wait here." He let go of my wrist and ran into the other room.

When he returned, he held a small box in his hands. "Here," he said and handed me the box. I smiled and told him, "You didn't have to get me anything, Klaus." He smiled, a true and genuine smile. "But I wanted to. It's almost Christmas anyway, and I wanted to get you something. Plus, I wasn't sure when I'd see you again, so I wanted to give this to you now."

I felt like I was getting stabbed constantly with each word he spoke. How could I do something as cold as leading him on like this? This wasn't me. I opened the box and saw a small gold chain. My eyes widened. "Klaus, this is lovely, but you didn't have to spend this much money on me," I told him.

I didn't like knowing that I was having this much spent on me. It wasn't how I was raised. The little things in life were worth more than something like this. Klaus told me, "Don't be ridiculous. Nothing is too much for my future wife. Now, let's see how this looks on you."

He took the chain from the box and latched it behind my neck. After that, he escorted me to a mirror so I could see myself. Against my fair complexion, the gold chain stood out and shimmered in the lights. Behind me, Klaus said, "It looks great on you, malady." I smiled sadly and said, "Yeah. ….Sure does."

* * *

sorry for the lack of updates. took me some days off. there will be no uploads on anything from the 9th-16th. i'll be on vacation. well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	4. February 1861: It's All An Act

_Alice_

I walked down the hall from my room to the kitchen, and paused in front of a mirror. I seemed to be doing that a lot since December passed. My eyes fell on the gold chain around my neck. It was my Christmas present from Klaus, and I couldn't bring myself to take it off due to the guilt that was eating me alive.

Because of the way I was acting, Julie and Runo were starting to think that I may have been developing feelings for him. But I knew I wasn't. _Unless guilt is a feeling, _I said to myself. It felt like everyday, I told myself that I would end the engagement with Klaus.

But I never did. I always backed out at the last minute, and only prolonged it even more. My grandfather met me in the hallway. He asked, "Why are you staring at that mirror, Alice?" I tore my gaze from the glass and smiled at him. "No reason," I told him.

He shook his head and told me, "Alice, I don't like seeing you suffering like this. I'm sure Klaus and your parents will understand if you break the engagement." I stared down at the floor. How could my grandfather be so certain about this?

How did he know whether or not Klaus or my parents would understand? They might, but I knew my parents would go right back to finding me a suitor. I would be right back where I started. I straightened my shoulders and said, "I'm the one who agreed to this marriage, and I'm going to stick through it. Grandfather, I don't want to go back to traveling everywhere and meeting strangers that want to marry me. I hope you understand."

I turned on my heels and walked back to my room. Behind me, I could hear my grandfather sigh, and I knew he was shaking his head in disapproval. He didn't know it was like to be in my situation. He could only imagine it. I slipped into my room, shutting the door behind me, and walked over to my window.

Pulling back the curtains, I stared out at the winter-stricken trees. I let out a sigh, thinking about how fast the world was changing around me. A few days ago, several more states left the Union; South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.

They got together and formed the Confederate States. I couldn't help but feel that what they were doing, was only going to make this unstable world worse. All around me, it felt like the world was spinning out of control. Not only was my own life going through turmoil, but the country was as well.

It was all just so stressful. Outside of my house, a carriage pulled up. Instintivily, I thought it may have been Klaus. I hadn't seen him since December, and with each day I had begun to wait for one of his usual, unexpected arrivals. But this wasn't Klaus this time.

Julie and Runo were the ones to step out of the carriage this time. They saw me leaning out of my window, and hurried over to me. I hadn't been expecting them to show up today, but I was happy to have them, rather than Klaus. Julie reached the window first and said, "Alice! There you are!"

I titled my head to the side out of confusion. Where else did they think I was? _Probably at Klaus' home, _I thought. I smiled and said, "Yeah, here I am." Runo joined the silver-haired girl's side and said to me, "Julie and I were wondering if you wanted to go with us into town."

I thought about it for a moment. If Klaus came by later, odds were that I would still be with Runo and Julie. I told the two girls, "Let me grab my coat." They nodded and hurried back over to the carriage they arrived in. I closed the window and snatched my coat from the back of a chair, slinging it over my shoulders, and slipping my arms through.

After that, I hurried through the halls and quickly told my grandfather, "I'm going out with Runo and Julie." I was out of the house before he had a chance to say anything to me. Julie and Runo were already waiting in the carriage for me. I climbed in and shut the door.

With a whip of the reigns, the carriage driver made the horses start to move. Julie turned in her seat and touched the gold chain on my neck. "Oh, how pretty, Alice. Where'd you get it?" she asked, eyes sparkling at the piece of jewelry.

Julie was what Runo and I considered as a connoisseur of jewelry. I told her, "Klaus gave it to me for Christmas." Why did even saying that, make me feel a pang of guilt? A frown appeared on Julie's face. She told me, "You can't keep up this charade with him, Alice. It's clear that he loves you, and the longer you keep pretending to love him back, the more it's going to hurt him later on when he finds out it was all an act."

It was all true, and it only made me feel even more awful about the whole ordeal. Runo chimed in and said, "I hate to admit it, but Julie's right. You have to end this now while you're ahead. None of us like seeing you forcing this on yourself, so why don't you just end it?"

My hands fidgeted with my dress when I told them, "I don't know, guys. I just can't seem to bring myself to call off the engagement with him. What do I do?" I felt like tears might spill over at any moment. Julie crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Runo and I could go with you one day and make sure you do end it with Klaus. But only if you want us to."

I shook my head and told them sternly, "No, this is my fight. I dug myself into this hole, and I'll get myself out." Julie and Runo glanced at one another, not sure if they should believe me or not. I wasn't even sure if I believed myself. Would I really ever get myself out of this?

At the time, it felt like I wouldn't. _Maybe I should take them up on their offer._ With Julie and Runo by my side, they would end up forcing me to tell Klaus the truth. That the only reason I accepted his proposal, was because I didn't want to hear anymore.

I then told them, "I would be able to deal with staying with Klaus, if I didn't have this feeling that there is something better out there for me." I had always had that feeling, like there was the perfect life and future for me. Maybe that was what kept making it intolerable to be around Klaus.

But I knew I could never have that perfect life. My parents wanted to be the ones to give it to me, whether I wanted it or not. It wasn't my choice, or destiny to pick what I thought was perfect for me. Julie and Runo didn't say anything about my latest statement. Instead, they shook their heads and remained quiet until we reached town.

_Shun_

_This country is a mess, _I said to myself as I trudged through the newly fallen snow. Almost all of the South had seceded from the Union, and they had formed a separate nation as well; a capital and President as well. To escape the cold, I stepped into the bar.

At the usual booth I sat in, Dan was already there; Jake accompanied him. I sighed and sat across from them. Dan smiled and said, "What a coincidence. I needed to tell you something, and you showed up. Isn't that lucky, Jake?" His friend nodded beside him.

I propped my elbows up on the table and asked, "What did you need to tell me?" Dan looked around and leaned across the table. He whispered to me, "I ended up scoring this good-looking girl this morning, and she has a sister. Just wondering if you wanted to get in on this."

I rolled my eyes and told him, "Thanks for sharing, but I'll pass. You're not the best at setting up dates, and I don't feel like getting involved." Dan leaned back in his seat and shrugged his shoulders. "Alright. Just thought I'd offer."

A couple of booths away from ours, I could hear the conversation of two elderly men. They were discussing the Peace Conference that took place yesterday. Buchanan, still in office until Lincoln's inaguaration, had orchestrated a conference with the newly anointed President of the Confederate States; Jefferson Davis.

It was held in hopes that things would die down, but it failed miserably. That was another reason that my previous statements, were looking more and more wrong with each step taken by both sides. Dan stood up from the booth and said, "Since you don't want anything to do with the two sisters I found, I guess me and Jake will have to take them out. Bye."

He started to walk away with Jake, but stopped and added, "You don't know what you're missing out on." I pointed towards the door and told him, "Just go." Dan shrugged and the two of them left. I didn't understand how he could be more focused on a girl, and not have a worry in the world that this country was plunging into a war.

Didn't he know that if war did break out, then we would most likely get pulled into it as well? I, for one, didn't want to be thrown into a bloody battlefield. It wasn't something that was on my agenda at the moment. A fight broke out on the other side of the bar.

I watched and saw that it was between two guys, and a girl stood in the middle, trying to break them up. Her attemtps to keep them from fighting, was futile. The two guys proceeded to throw punches back and forth at each other, knocking over tables and glasses. The girl threw her hands up in the air and left the two. I shook my head and left the bar.

Snow had started to fall once more, and I stuffed my hands in my coat pockets. I stopped in my tracks and looked up at the gray, cloud-filled sky. There had to be so much more out there for me than being stuck in the same old routine.

But I knew if things kept going like they were, I wouldn't have to worry about doing to same thing everyday. Although, I was somewhat intrigued with the idea of going to somewhere else. It would have been more appealing if the catch wasn't the fact that we would have been seeing new places because of a war.

It certainly wouldn't be a very pleasant trip. I resumed to walk back to my home like I had been doing before I stopped. I opened the door and entered into my house. Instantly, I felt the eerie silence that had taken over the home since my mother's death.

But that had been years ago, and I was used to the silence. Although, it still reminded me each time I came home. I walked through the house, turning on the oil lamps and making sure everything was as I had left it; some people were unfortunate and had their homes robbed on a daily basis.

Deciding I didn't feel like fixing something to eat, I went on to my room and laid down on my bed. _Just another silent night, _I said to myself. I shut my eyes, and my mind was anything but silent. Instantly, I fell into a dream.

I couldn't be seen by anyone; I was only observing what was happening. Two different sides, shooting at each other with muskets and cannons. It was the war. My eyes opened up, and I found myself staring up at the ceiling.

* * *

yes, i live. :p not one of my best works up there, but i needed a filler chapter for the next one. :/ go figure. i have just returned from vacation. it was alright. i didnt get sunburned, so that's an accomplishment for me. X) well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	5. April 1861: Attack On Fort Sumter

_Alice_

I sat on the fountain that resided in the middle of Klaus' courtyard. Winter was starting to lose its grip on the world as spring fought against it, and new greenery was beginning to appear with each day. It was nice to see this garden coming to life again.

It reminded me that the world was still turning, even if it didn't feel like it at times. I ran my hand along in the water, enjoying the cooling sensation, when Klaus walked into the courtyard. He straightened the tie around his neck and said, "I'll be back in a couple of weeks, malady."

I stared at him, not sure as to where he was going. Not that I really cared, but I was curious. He hadn't told me anything about an uncoming trip. Was this the reason that he invited me over to his home again? To tell me that he was going on a trip?

He could have done that back at my house, and I wouldn't have had to leave the comfort of my own home. I asked, "And where is it that you're going?" A servent showed up behind Klaus, holding several suitcases. Klaus straightened his shirt sleeves and told me, "I have some business that must be attended to up North. But don't worry about me, Alice. I assure you, I'll be fine."

I gave him a smile, but on the inside I was more thankful that he wouldn't be around for a little while. I needed a break from him. Klaus took my hand in his and told me, "I must be on my way, malady. See you soon." He let go of my hand and left the courtyard with the servent.

I let out a sigh. "He has good intentions, so don't worry." I turned around and saw the groundskeeper, which I hadn't noticed before. He smiled at me and went back to trimming the hedges that surrounded the courtyard. I asked him, "Do you know what kind of 'business' Klaus was talking about?"

I was curious to know what he could possibly have to do up North, especially with all of the hate going on between them and the South. The groundskeeper, one of the few white servents that Klaus had around, set the hedge clippers down and wiped sweat from his brow.

He told me, "Probably another slave auction, but there's no telling." I thought about people being sold for other people's use, and I couldn't stand it. This wasn't right. People were people, no matter which way you looked at it. But I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it.

This was the way of life for so many of us, whether we liked it or not. But there were times that I felt like me and my grandfather, were the only two in the South that disagreed with slavery. I didn't like feeling so alone. But that was what the North was fighting for, right?

The freedom of the slaves? Or, at least, that was what I had been hearing. There was no way to tell if that was the true story. I left the courtayard and walked out to the front of the Antebellum home. Out in the distance, I saw a group of people walking along the road.

Horses with supplies walked beside them. I was able to make out the shapes of musket guns and other things. What were they doing? By the looks of the way they were going, they were heading towards the train station. Klaus' carriage driver then pulled up to the house, and empty cab behind him.

I ran up to the man after he came to a halt and asked, "What are those people doing?" I thought that the driver may have known, or had an idea when he passed by them on the way here. He turned around and watched the moving caravan.

"Not sure, ma'am. Looks like they might be getting shipped off somewhere." I nodded and told the driver, "Alright. You can go back to what you were about to do." He thanked me and took the horse off into the stables, leaving the carriage behind.

I was still curious as to know what those men were doing, and where they were going, but I was sure that I would find out soon enough. Word traveled fast through the South. This wouldn't stay a secret long. I then heard the trotting of hooves, and looked ahead to see Billy, riding on horseback, coming up the stretch of road that led to Klaus' home.

He halted the horse and tilted his hat to me. "Morning, Alice. Is Klaus around? I have the order he requested a few days ago." Billy held up a bag that had been tied to the side of the horse's saddle. I smiled at him and said, "You just missed him, Billy. Klaus left for up North a couple of hours ago, but I'd be more than welcome to take it for him in his place."

He nodded and handed me the bag, which was heavier than I expected. "Thank you, Alice. I have to be on my way now," he said and turned the horse around. I watched as Billy went further down the road. Curiostity set in, and I placed the bag on the ground and looked inside.

It was filled with different grains and flour. I didn't want to question why Klaus had purchased this, so I just tied the bag up and took it inside. A servent saw me hauling the heaving object inside, and immediately ran over to me, where he proceeded to take the burden from me.

He held up the bag and said, "I see Master Klaus' order finally arrived. Good. He only likes the finest grains in his food." Now it made sense. I didn't know what the difference was between that grain, and the grain that was harvested by the slaves outside. The servent ran off towards the kitchen with the bag.

_Shun_

I was thankful that the weather was finally warming up. Although, it was still cold enough to be uncomfortable. The snow that covered the ground and roads was beginning to melt away, and the flow of traffic was picking up. It always amazed me how a week ago, there was hardly a carriage on the road, and now, you ran that risk of being hit if you weren't careful.

"Hey, Shun. Doesn't this look awesome?" I turned around to see that my friend had gotten distracted by another bakery. He was looking through the front window at the cakes and other sweets that were out on display.

I shook my head and asked, "How can you always be hungry? It makes no sense to me." Dan shrugged his shoulders and continued to stare in the window like a small child. I sat down on a nearby bench, knowing that I would probably be there for a while before Dan realized he wasn't going to buy anything.

A carriage then went by, the windows on it covered with steel bars and locks on the doors. I had seen those before, and it could only mean that there was going to be a slave auction soon. I narrowed my eyes. In a time when everyone was fighting for the freedom of slaves, I still found it ludicrous that auctions were still being held in the North.

Then again, there wasn't any laws against selling them, just owning them. "Dan, are you done drooling on the window yet?" I asked. He turned and looked at me, an expression on his face that told me he didn't hear a word I had said.

I shook my head and told him, "I'm out of here. I don't feel like sitting on this bench and freezing all day." I walked down the sidewalk, leaving my friend behind. My eyes were low and fixed on the ground in front of me. With this lack of paying attention, I bumped into somebody.

I stumbled back and immediately told them, "I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention." I then saw who I had run into. He had almost shoulder length hair that was light blue, and wore the tackiest clothing I had to have ever seen. He straightened the tie around his neck and said in clear, Southern accent, "I always knew Yanks had trouble with knowing their surroundings. I'm just surprised that they known how to apologize."

I was taken aback. Was this guy serious? I asked him, "And what's that supposed to mean? Speaking of which, why is somebody like you up this far North? Don't you belong back in your backwoods country?" The man glared at me, and I returned the favor.

If he wanted an insult contest, then he got one. He held up a nonchalant hand and said, "It's a good thing my fiancee isn't here. I wouldn't want her to have to hear your ignorance. Besides that, it's none of your concern as to why I'm here."

I growled, and all he did was close his eyes and shake his head. The man then said to me, "If I ever run into you again, Yank, then don't think that I'll be as pleasant as I am now. Good day." I stood there, shocked by what I was hearing. This was his pleasant personality?

I shuddered at the thought of what his unpleasant one was. Dan ran up beside me and asked, "What the heck was all that about? Who was Pirate Boy back there?" The man, or as Dan had called him, Pirate Boy, was going towards the town square; which was where the slave auctions were held.

"Just some ignorant Southerner who needs an attitude adjustment," I said with a hint of spite in my voice. Dan patted my shoulder and told me, "Don't worry, pal. If the war does happen, then you'll be able to give him that attitude adjustment then."

_Fort Sumter_

Outside of the legendary South Carolina fort, a plan was taking place. Early in the morning, Lieutenant Henry S. Farely, who had been acting under the command of Captian George S. James, fired the first round from a mortar near Fort Johnson.

Before this, James turned to Roger Pryor and asked him, "Do you want to make the first shot, Mr. Pryor?" Roger looked up at the Captain and shook his head. "I could not be the one to fire the first gun of the war." James shrugged his shoulders and shot the mortar upon the unexpecting residents in Fort Sumter.

The shot of the mortar acted as a signal, and more shots were fired from surrounding forts; and areas. James stood there, smiling as the unexpecting fort was bombarded. Inside the fort, people scrambled around, shielding themselves from the shelling.

The sounds woke Charleston's residents, bringing people out of their homes and into the morning darkness to watch the shelling. The soldiers within the fort fought back against the Confederate troops that were attacking them. The shelling went on throughout the day.

General Beauregard, the leader of the Union fort, stood his ground as best as he could. But it all fell in vain. The fort's central flag pole, sporting the Union flag, fell a little bit past noon. Colonel Loius Wigfall, a former U.S. Senator, stood by, shaking his head.

His beloved fort had taken so much damage, and he didn't want to see anymore. The flag had already fallen, and casualties were piling up. He went over to Beauregard and said, "Gather a group and a boat, and go across the river to surrender."

Beauregard nodded and went across the river, Wigfall tagging along with him, waving the white flag to show that the fort was giving up in the fight. Wigfall hopped out of the boat and approached Major Anderson.

He said to the Major, "You have defended your flag well, Sir. Beauregard and I, wish to stop this fight. On what terms, will you evacuate this fort, Major Anderson?"

Anderson tilted his head to side, not sure what to think of Wigfall's statement. Wigfall's fort was low on ammunition, fires burned out of control, but they had defended their fort with honor. And that was all that mattered to the Colonel.

Anderson watched as Wigfall's white flag was raised on the flag pole at Sumter, and he marveled in his victory over the Union fort. He said with a smile, "A piece of the Union has fallen, and so will the rest."

* * *

**if i was able to, i'd shoot wikipedia. -.- they aren't very fluent with what they have on their site, so i'm sorry if the Fort Sumter thing isnt as accurate considering wikipedia didnt really specify what Major, etc. etc. was on which side. -.-'' oh well. for those who were curious, yes. that was, indeed, Klaus. (just in case you didnt catch that). well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	6. May 1861: Drafted

_Shun_

Dan stomped his foot on the ground outside of the local post office. He shouted, "I still can't believe they attacked one of our forts! The nerve!" I sighed. The Confederate troops had attacked Fort Sumter last month, and both sides were already starting to rally volunteers to join the army and fight.

It still shocked me that war really did break out, and that my judgement had been wrong. But I wasn't hearing any gloating from Dan. Perhaps because he was so worked up over the whole thing, the thought about me being wrong had slipped his mind. I was at least thankful for that.

Inside the post office, I went to my designated box, and unlocked the little door, pulling out the mail that was inside. Dan leaned against the wall and asked me, "So, are you going to volunteer and go into the war?" I shot him a look and closed the box. "No, Dan. I'd like to stay alive."

Dan and Jake had both signed up as volunteers for the Union army. I tried to convince them that it was a stupid thing to do, and that their pride was getting the best of them. But did they listen? No. "I can't believe you don't want to fight back," said the brunette as I flipped through the stack of envelops.

I asked him without looking up, "Why can't you believe it?" Dan scratched the back of his head and said, "Uh, not sure. I just thought-" I cut him off and said harshly, "That's right. You _thought_." He sighed and didn't say anything else.

I continued to flip through my mail, and stopped at an unmarked envelop. Curious, I opened it up and pulled the letter out. Dan craned his neck and asked, "What ya get?" I scanned down the lines of the letter and leaned against the wall beside Dan.

"Looks like I am going into the war," I said flatly, trying to hide my disbelief. Dan snatched the letter from my hand and read it. I watched his eyes dart back and forth, then slow down as he reached the end. "They drafted you?" I sighed and told him, "It looks that way."

Now it didn't matter if I wanted to go into the fight or not. If I didn't, then I'd go to jail for refusing to follow a federal order. My only choice was to go. Dan folded the letter and handed it back to me. "Sorry, buddy," he told me. I still couldn't believe how the odds had turned on me.

I took the letter from Dan and ripped it down the middle. I turned my back to him and said, "Guess I better get home and start packing." According to that letter, I was leaving on the same train as Dan, and that was at the end of the week.

I walked out of the post office and glanced back in through the window. Dan was bent over and picking up the torn draft letter I had thrown down. I didn't like the fact that I was being forced to go into a war that I didn't want any part in, but what other choice did I have?

_Dan_

I tossed the torn letter in a trashcan as I left out of the post office. Shun was no longer in my sight, but I had a good idea that he had gone back to his house. It always seemed like things turned on him for the worst. It was one thing if you wanted to go and put your life on the line in a war, but it was a totally different thing if you were being forced against your will.

Shun didn't want to do this. I had seen first-hand that he didn't want anything to do with the war or bickering between the North and South. Unlike me. I wanted to help out somehow, to try and put an end to all of this. I walked past the town square, and looked at the tattered flag that waved in the wind.

It was brought back from the fallen Fort Sumter, and had worked as a means to get people to volunteer for the war; including me. I heavy hand then came down on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Jake standing there, that usual smile on his face.

He asked, "Getting psyched up for when we leave for the war? Speaking of which, did Shun say whether or not he was going to volunteer?" I shrugged Jake's hand off of me and told him, "Let's just say that somebody else volunteered for him…He got a draft letter in the mail earlier."

Jake scratched the back of his neck and said, "That sucks. So, he wasn't going to sign up anyway?" I nodded and told Jake, "I'm sure he'll get over it though. Right now he's just kind of fuming over the whole thing." Shun wasn't one that liked to be told what to do, so that was probably one thing that was factoring into this. Jake told me, "I hope so."

_Alice_

I took in a breath of the spring air, but a smile didn't appear on my face like it normally did. The reality of war had finally come alive, and people all over the South were being dragged into it. Since there were so many people spread out, the Confederacy issued a conscription to bring people into the war effort.

I already knew that half of the town had been conscripted now. Most of the plantation owners didn't have to worry about getting involved. In other words, Klaus was safe from the war. I sat down on the bench in front of my house, and looked off into the distance.

Recently, I found out who those people were that were walking down the road. They were volunteer soldiers going to attack Fort Sumter. They had helped start the war. I didn't know if I should have felt anger towards them, or pity. A carriage pulled up in front of my house, and before it could even stop, Runo jumped out of the cab.

She ran up to me and said, "Alice, you have to come with me. Now." I stared at her, confused as to what was so urgent. I asked, "Why? What happened?" She grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the carriage. Once inside, she told me, "It's Julie. Billy got drafted into the army, and she's taking it really hard. You have to help me calm her down."

My heart sank when I thought about what Julie was going through. The person that she loved, was being ripped away from her, and might not come back. The carriage stopped in front of the store Billy worked in. Runo and I hoped out of the cab and ran inside.

Julie was holding on to Billy, and I thought that she'd never let him go. Tears were rolling down her face and she kept saying, "They can't take you away! They just can't!" Runo leaned over and whispered into my ear, "You see why I need your help?"

I nodded. Julie was almost inconsolable at times, and this wouldn't be an exception. Billy was patting her back and trying to tell her that it would be alright. But Julie wasn't listening to a word he said. I walked over beside my crying friend and told her, "Julie, you have to let go now. Runo and I are here. Everything will be fine."

She shook her head and said in between sobs, "No it won't." I looked to Runo for help, and the blunette came to my aide. We finally got Julie's deathgrip off of Billy, and sat the crying girl down in a chair. Billy straightened his shirt and mouthed a silent 'thank you' to me and Runo.

I smiled at him and turned back to Julie. "Julie, listen to me. You have to be strong for Billy. I don't think the last thing he wants to remember when he leaves, is how torn apart you are," I said to her in the most gentle way that I could.

She looked up at me, wiping a tear from her eye. I thought I might have been getting through to her. Billy then appeared by my side and said, "Yeah, I wanna know that I'm being cheered for back home, not cried over." Julie smiled through her tears and said, "Alright. I'll try."

Billy continued to talk to her, while Runo and I stepped outside of the store to leave them alone. Runo let out a sigh and said, "That was easier than I thought it'd be. It's a good thing I went to you for help, Alice. Or else I might have only made things worse."

I had to agree with her. Runo wasn't the best at comforting people. I glanced behind us and through the window of the store. Julie and Billy were still talking to each other. I asked Runo, "Do you think Billy will be okay?"

I couldn't even begin to imagine how devasted Julie would be if she found out that something had happened to him during the war. Runo told me, "Billy's strong and smart. I'm sure he'll come back in one piece."

_Shun_

I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked onto the train platform. All around me, were other volunteers and draftees that were going to the same place as me. Families gathered around their loved ones that were leaving for the war.

I leaned against one of the pillars that made up the station's roof, and watched. As much as I wished that I had family members here to see me off, I was also relieved that I didn't. I didn't want the burden of knowing that if something did happen to me during the war, that I had family back home worrying about me.

My grandfather didn't even know I was drafted, and I wanted it to stay that way. He was too old to be worrying about me anyway. A whistle blew, and I saw people were starting to make their ways into the train cars. I picked up my bag and made my way towards them as well.

"Hey! Shun!" I looked around and saw Dan and Jake waving at me from above the crowd. They made their way through the sea of people and reached me. Jake shifted the bag on his shoulder and said, "I say we get an end car. They'll be less crowded." I didn't object to that idea.

The three of us made our way to the last passenger car, and stepped inside. Jake was right about it being less crowded. There was maybe three or four people already in there. I took a seat towards the back, while Dan and Jake sat a few rows up from me. I looked out the window at the family members that were being left behind.

Some were crying, some were cheering. The train finally rolled out of the station, and I couldn't have been more thankful.

I was getting tired of watching those people back at the platform. Dan turned around in his seat and said to me, "Hey, Shun. Any idea where this train is supposed to be taking us? Jake says he doesn't know."

I leaned back in my seat, arms crossed over my chest, and said, "Don't know." Dan turned back around and continued to talk to Jake. _Actually, I do know, _I thought to myself. _It's taking us to war._

* * *

**check out my profile for an updated poll about the future title of the sequel to The End Of Our World. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	7. June 1861: Zero To None

_Alice_

It had been almost unbearable to watch Julie as Billy departed for the war. Runo and I both had to hold her back, or else she may have run onto the train with him. I didn't criticize the way she was acting. I was sure that anyone who loved somebody dearly, would do the same thing.

But Billly had left almost a month ago, and Julie was just now coming around and acting like her old self. Although, I doubted she'd ever be Julie again until Billy came back in one piece. Sighing, I stepped out and to the courtyard of Klaus' mansion.

One could tell that it was June now; all of the trees had their leaves back, and the heat was proof as well. I fanned myself with my hand to cool myself down some. I didn't notice that Klaus was behind me until I saw his reflection in the water of the fountain.

I jumped by his sudden appearance, then turned around. "You startled me." He sat down next to me and said, "My apologies. I thought you might have heard me." That guilty feeling reappeared in the pit of my stomach, but I tried not to pay it any mind.

I was with Klaus now, and I couldn't have any doubts about it. If I did, then I'd go right back to where I was before I agreed to marry him. Klaus dipped his fingers into the fountain's water and said, "Your friend Julie, is she still taking that boy's departure hard?"

I nodded. "Yeah. But she'll bounce back soon. She always does." Klaus then placed a gentle grip on my arm. I stared at him, wondering what he was doing. He looked at me with sincere eyes and said, "I just want you to know that I won't leave you behind and go off into this war. No matter how badly I may want to."

I smiled at him, knowing that his words were true. I may not have truly liked Klaus, but I didn't want him to go off into some war and risk getting injured. He was too much of a good person to have something like that happen to him.

Klaus stood up and left the courtyard, leaving me alone. I then stood up from the fountain as well, and left the courtyard from a back exit. The exit took me to the back of the mansion, and faced me towards the rows of crops that were being planted and harvested by the slaves on a daily basis.

Even from so far off in the distance, I could hear them singing their hymns. I didn't understand how they could find it in them to sing their songs, when they were living like no man or woman ever should have lived. How could they be so strong, when I felt like the simplest of things could knock me over?

"Ma'am? What are you doing out here?" I jumped and turned around to see one of Klaus' servants standing behind me, his head tilted to the side as he awaited my answer. I told him, "Uh, just watching." He nodded and said, "Well, Master Klaus just wanted to let you know that Miss Runo and Miss Julie are here and looking for you."

I thanked the servant, and in turn, he bowed and left. I made my way through the courtyard and back into the mansion. Standing in front of the main door, I saw Julie and Runo. I noticed that Julie was holding something in her hands, and she looked pretty protective of it.

Runo smiled and said, "There you are, Alice. We've looked all over for you." I walked down the stairs and finally reached them. I whispered to the blunette, "You should know this is where I am most of the time." Runo gave me a sad smile and nodded.

It must have slipped her mind. I turned back to Julie and asked, "What do you have in your hand?" She held up the white envelop and said with excitement, "Billy sent me a letter from the camp he's been assigned to!" Before any of the soldiers could go into battle, they had to have some kind of training.

Or else it would have just been a massive bloodshed. I smiled at Julie and said, "That's great." She nodded her head and clutched the letter close to her chest. She'd probably never let it go until Billy sent another. I asked Runo, "So, what did you want to see me for?"

She glanced over at the estatic silver-haired girl and said, "Julie just wanted to tell you about her letter." I laughed, somewhat amused that they had come all this way to tell me about a letter from Billy. But it meant a lot to Julie, and I didn't have any negative remarks about it.

_Shun_

I stepped out of the tent that I had been assigned to and shielded my eyes from the sunlight until they adjusted. Once they did, I looked out ahead of me. Tents, like mine, were set up in row after row, each one housing about six soldiers each.

To me, this camp felt more like a prison. They had finally issued uniforms and guns to everyone, but it was training day. I sighed, not looking forward to what was to come. Several people, including Dan and Jake, were sitting around a fire that had a kettle hung over it.

Whatever was in that kettle, was most likely breakfast. I sat down next to the only two people I knew in the whole camp. Dan was scarfing down a bowl of the food and asked, "Aren't you going to eat? You'll need it for today." I stared at the soupy contents in the bowl and said, "I think I'll pass. I'm not all that hungry anyway."

Dan glanced down at the bowl and told me, "It tastes way better than it looks. Trust me." _Yeah, right. _I had learned not to trust Dan's taste buds. He would eat almost anything you gave to him, regardless if it was spoiled or not. He didn't care.

Food was food to him. I heard the sound of a bugle-call ring out through the camp. Jake looked around and said, "Guess it's time for us to quit eating." Dan groaned and set his bowl down with the dirty dishes that other soldiers had left behind. We walked to the designated area that we were to meet at.

Standing in front of us, was our commander Colonel Joseph H. Tucker. His eyes scanned each of us before he said, "Today you'll all go through training. This training will prepare you for what you will see in the battlefield, and will also determine where you will be placed in the Union army."

A rifle was tossed at each of us. Dan, who had apparently not been paying attention to what was going on, didn't catch his. In a panic, Dan tried to quickly pick up the gun, but Tucker pinned it down with his foot. My friend glanced up at the Colonel, who in turn said, "And if this happened while in battle, you would have been dead. Pick up the gun."

Tucker removed his foot so Dan could retrieved the dropped weapon. "That's a lesson to all of you. No weapon, means you have no defense. In other words, you're asking for the enemy to shoot you where you stand. Now, let's begin. Shall we?"

As the rest of the soldiers were following the Colonel, I ran and caught up with Dan. I whispered to him, "Great way to make a first impression, don't you think?" He shot a glare at me, which made me grin. "Shut it," he whispered back at me.

The training finally ended sometime around dark. I had to force my tired body to make it back towards my tent. Along the way, I ran into Dan and Jake once again. They looked almost as exhausted as I felt. "I hope the actually battles aren't going to be that brutal," said Jake as he examined the cuts and scraps on his arms.

Odds were, they would be much worse that what we just experienced. Dan sat down on the ground and said, "I don't know how much more of that I can take without completely losing it." I crossed my arms over my chest and said flatly, "This is what you signed up for."

Dan let out a heavy sigh and said, "I know. I know. You don't have to go and give me some kind of lecture." There were times when I wondered about that. Dan could have used a good lecture or two in order to get some common sense through that thick skull of his.

Nearby, somebody stumbled towards a tent and collapsed. The three of us, who seemed to be the only ones who noticed this, ran over to the person's side. I told Jake, "Go and get me a glass of water." He did as I said and quickly returned. I took the glass and splashed the water onto the unconscious man's face.

He immediately sat up, coughing and looking around in a panic. "Hey, chill. You're ok," Dan told him. This guy was couldn't have weighed more than a hundred pounds soaking wet, and looked like he would be unable to fight his way out of a paper bag.

He ran his hands through his light brown hair and yelled, "I hate this place!" Dan and I exchanged a look at one another. This guy didn't look like he belonged in a place like this. "Did you volunteer?" Dan asked him. The scrawny man shook his head and said, "No. They drafted me into this hellhole!"

Dan looked at me, and I knew just what he was thinking. This was almost how I was acting when I first got that letter in the mail a month ago. Not to this extent, but I wasn't too thrilled about the whole thing. "They took me away from my fiancee and everything. Didn't even give me a damn choice!" the man shouted.

People were starting to look at us. I told him, "Hey, I know you're mad about being drafted. But you might want to keep it down." The man took several deep breaths then sighed. "I know. It's just, I've been holding in my anger and I guess I couldn't hold it any longer."

The man stood up, brushing the dirt off of his clothes. Well, most of it had turned into mud from where we splashed him awake with water. "So, what's your name?" Jake asked. The man turned and looked at us and said, "Joe…Joe Brown."

Dan extended his hand out and said, "Nice to meet ya. I'm Dan. This is Jake. And the guy who threw the water on you is Shun." I shot a quick glare at my friend. Joe stared at Dan's hand for a moment before shaking it. "Nice to meet you all," he said to the three of us.

"It's nice to know that there are some friendly people in this madhouse." I could understand why others might have been giving this guy a hard time. Joe looked weak, and probably was. He certainly didn't fit in around the other soldiers. Joe ran a hand through his hair and said with a slight studder, "It's just, I know I'm going to get killed the moment I step out onto that battlefield."

Dan then hit Joe in the back and said, "Don't worry, pal. As long as you stick around us, we won't let no Confederates kill ya. We'll personally make sure you get back to that fiancee of your's too." Joe stared at Dan, eyes wide with hope. "Seriously?" he asked like a child that had just gotten the present he wanted for Christmas.

Dan smiled and gave him a quick nod. Joe smiled and said, "Thank you so much." Another bugle sounded, followed by Tucker's booming voice. "Everyone! To your sleeping quarters! Now!" Joe immediately ran off, obviously in fear of the Colonel.

Dan was about to walk off to his tent when I grabbed his wrist and stopped him. Dan turned around and asked me, "Why are you stopping me? Didn't you just hear Major Pain's announcement?" I narrowed my eyes and asked, "How could you promise something like that to him? What are you going to do if he does die? It'll be on your hands."

Dan pulled his wrist out from my grip and told me, "Hey, I told the guy something that he wanted to hear, and now look at him. He might as well be on Cloud 9. If he dies, then there's nothing I can do about it." I shook my head and told him, "Whatever, Dan."

My friend turned around and jogged off to his tent. I hurried to my own tent, slipped inside and laid down on my sleeping cot. All while I laid there and waited for sleep to take me away, I kept thinking about how more and more this war was becoming real.

I glanced down at the people that I shared my tent with, and knew that after our first battle, the odds of seeing these same people, were almost zero to none.

* * *

do go and check out the poll on my profile if you have not. i only have one vote right now, and i'd like to get a couple more. if you help you, you get a cookie. :3 everybody likes cookies, right? well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	8. July 1861: Sound The Bugle

_Shun_

We sat around the camp; it was a slow day, and most of us decided that we would spend it taking it easy. Although we had been in this place for over a month, our group still only consisted of me, Dan, and Jake; the only addition was Joe. I still couldn't believe that Dan had promised Joe that we would keep him safe during a battle.

That was a promise that none of us could keep. The bugle rang out through the camp. "What does Major Pain want now? I thought we had the day off," Dan groaned. Since the first day of training, Dan and Colonel Tucker hadn't gotten off to a good start. Then again, it didn't help that Dan hadn't been paying attention and dropped the rifle that he had been given.

Even though Dan was still whining, he joined the rest of us as we made our way to the meeting area; which was around the camp's center flag pole. Colonel Tucker stood in front of the pole, arms behind his back. He cleared his throat and said, "Pack your things, men. You're going off to your first battle."

Every soldier's eyes were wide with shock. Had this day already arrived? Tucker continued to speak. "You'll be shipped off in a couple of hours and joined Brigade General Irvin McDowell. He is an exceptional General, appointed by the President himself. He'll make sure that you fight with your all. Now, gather your things. Dismissed."

Tucker walked off. Only a few of the soldiers moved from the spots that they were standing on. The rest were too shocked to even say anything. I searched the motionless crowd for either Dan or Jake. I found the two, standing like statues nearby.

They were just as shaken up as the rest of the soldiers. Next to them, I saw Joe. All the color had drained from his face, and I thought for a moment that he was going to be sick. _You better keep your promise to him, Dan, _I thought to myself.

More and more of the soldiers were starting to snap out of their shock, and they began to make their ways to their tents in order to pack what they needed. I walked up to Dan and Jake and said, "Time to wake up, guys. Better start packing before we leave."

They nodded, but looked as if there was nobody at home. I left them standing there, sure that they'd snap out of it eventually. When I reached my tent, my stuff was all that was left. The others that I shared the tent with, had already packed their things and vacated.

As I packed my own belongings, I still couldn't believe that this was happening, and how fast it was. Was it really only four or five months ago, that I was back home and everything seemed fine? It amazed me how quickly things had been happening, and a part of me wished they would slow down once in a while.

Once I was finished packing, I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked outside. Dan and Jake were no longer standing in the same place. Instead, they had packed and were sitting down on a log that had been used as a bench.

Hopefully, the shock of all of this had finally settled in for them. I didn't want to be stuck on another train with them staring off into nothingness. "You're supposed to drop your things off at the flag pole so they'll be put on the train," I told them when I was within earshot of them.

Dan placed his hands on the back of his head and said, "I wonder what they'd do if I ran off and skipped out on this fight?" My shoulder was starting to ache from the weight of my bag, so I placed it on the ground. "They'd most likely label you as a deserter and throw you in jail if they find you," I told him flatly.

I then sighed and said, "Dan, you signed up for this war. That meant that you agreed to take it all in full stride. It doesn't mean back out when you realized it wasn't going to be how you expected." He scratched the back of his neck and said, "I know. What did I tell you about giving me lectures?"

I picked my bag up and told him, "Well, sometimes you need one. Now, come on and let's get our stuff to the meeting area before it doesn't make it on the train."

_Shun_

Tucker hadn't been kidding when he said that we'd leave soon. It was less than an hour after his announcement before a train pulled up to a nearby station, and soldiers started to load their belongings into the back car. I kept moving around in the seat that I had taken.

This train was much less comfortable than the one that brought us to the training camp, but I doubted that comfort was what was important. All that mattered now, was getting us to where we needed to be. I turned around in my seat and saw Dan and Jake sitting near the back.

Joe was in a seat closer to mine. He was bitting his thumbnail, and looked nothing short of a nervous wreck. I had to admit that I was feeling on the inside, what he looked like on the outside. I was nervous, whether I showed it or not.

I glanced out of the train car's window and saw that it was getting dark. Since I had no knowledge of where this train was taking us this time, I couldn't guess how long the trip would be. It could be a few more hours, or several days.

Regardless, whenever we got to our destination, things would most likely be in a mass chaos. I continued to look out of the window well after the sun had finally set. Around me, most of the other passengers had fallen asleep. As I glanced around, I saw that Joe was still wide awake. Sighing, I leaned into the aisle and said in a hushed voice, "Hey, Joe."

He stopped biting his thumbnail and looked up at me. "Yeah?" he asked. I told him, "Calm down some. Or else you won't have a thumb left by the time the train stops." Joe laughed nervously and said, "Sorry. Nervous habit." _That's an understatement, _I thought to myself and turned back around in my seat.

My eyes started to grow heavy, telling me that I was up later than I normally stayed up. _It will do me some good to sleep, _I told myself. I shut my eyes and found the most comfortable position I could find in the seat. Soon, the sound of the train's bellowing whistle didn't bother me, and I was in a deep sleep.

The only thing that woke me, was the sound of the train's breaks screeching. I jolted awake in my seat and looked around. It took me a moment to realize what was happening. The train had stopped at a station, and by the looks of the sun, it was well past noon.

A man stepped onto the train and said, "This is your stop. Get off and gather your belongings." He left us with those few words. I glanced out the window and saw that we had stopped in a small town; where that town was, I wasn't so sure.

Once traffic had cleared out of the aisle, I exited the train car and took my bag from the back car. Out in the distance, I heard the thundering sounds of gunshots. A man approached our group, short and kind of stocky with a beard, and said, "Don't worry. You aren't going right into that mess just yet. You have to stop by the camp and restock on ammo."

We all stared at the man, not knowing the slightest bit of who he was. He must have finally realized this, because he cleared his throat and said, "Excuse my rudeness. I'm Brigade General McDowell." A chorus of 'oh' rang out through the soldiers.

With the mention of his name, we immediately knew he was thanks to Tucker back at the training camp. McDowell then told us, "I want those who have been assigned to calvary units to go with Brigade General Daniel Hunter. The rest of you, follow me."

The man standing next to McDowell, a man no taller than me and with thinning brown hair, raised his hand in the air so we would know who was being spoken of. Those that had been assigned to the calvary, including Dan, left with General Hunter.

Jake and Joe then appeared by my sides. "I wonder why they're separating the divisions," Jake said next to me. I shook my head, not sure what splitting the soldiers up would accomplish. Joe turned to Jake and said, "Doesn't the calavary go into battle before the rest of the army?"

I ran a hand through my hair, growing annoyed by their constant questions that neither one could answer to the other. I snapped at them, "Can't we just stop with the questions?" Jake and Joe exchanged a look at each other, then at me. I was stressing, and badly.

McDowell snapped his fingers a couple of times to gather our attention. Once he had all of our eyes on him, he said, "Alright, then. Come with me." He lead our portion of the army towards a camp that resembled the training camp that we just left; tents placed in long rows and the such.

Soldiers that weren't with our group, stood in front of one tent. McDowell told us, "Get your ammo and rifles, then line up by the trees." The soldiers that were handing out the guns, had everything from their arms, to legs, and even eyes, wrapped up in bandages.

It was an eerie sight, especially when I knew that we were going into what they had just come out of. I went over to the trees and found a place in line, just as my commanding officer had asked of us. Jake and Joe then appeared next to me, and I wondered how they kept sneaking up on me.

Over a hill, I could just barely make out the sight of the fighting taking place. A little ways from us, I saw a line of people on horseback; the calvary units. _This is really happening._ Joe was shaking as if he were freezing to death, and I noticed that my own hands were trembling.

I tightened my grip on them in order to stop the shaking. Jake, who seemed totally calm somehow, looked at Joe and said, "Don't worry, buddy. Dan promised that we wouldn't let anything happen to you." I shot a look at Jake that was meant to make him shut up, but he didn't seem to catch it.

I wished that Dan hadn't made that ludicrous promise that we couldn't keep, and I hated that Jake honestly believed that we could keep this weakling safe. McDowell walked through two soldiers that were standing next to each other.

He placed a blue Stentson hat on his head; what the commanding officers were supposed to wear with their uniform. A bugle then sounded from somewhere, and I saw as the calvary horses took off over the hill that separated us from the fighting.

I knew Dan was somewhere among them, but now was not the time for me to start focusing on that. I needed to focus on my own battle ahead of me. Another bugle sounded, and McDowell raised the saber that had been hooked on his belt. This was our signal to go into the fight, and we followed it without a second thought.

* * *

_check out my profile and vote on my poll. pretty please? -does puppy dog face- well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~_


	9. July 1861: First Battle Of Bull Run

_Shun_

Everything started to happen so fast after we topped the hill. Guns immediately began to fire at us, sending most of our soldiers into a blind panic. I dove to the ground, thinking that I would be shielded from any attacks. I may have been safe from gunfire, but not from the firing cannons and mortars.

I quickly realized this and grabbed my rifle, scrambling up to my feet, and ran behind the nearest tree I could find. My back was pressed against the bark, heart beating so fast that I thought it might leap from my chest. I then tried to snap back into focus and load a round into the rifle.

This proved difficult thanks to my shaking hands. I had never been so scared before in my life. Was this be what I had to face each time that I was sent off to fight? I didn't even think I would have it in me to shoot somebody. How were all these other people able to bring themselves to kill another man?

Giving up on loading the gun, I fixed a bayonet to the end of the barrel, just in case I would have to protect myself. I slid down to the base of the tree and took in shaking breaths. How were Dan and Jake fairing in all of this? That is, if they were still alive.

A stray bullet shot past me, taking a piece of the tree's bark with it. I flinched, and my first instinct was to run. But run to where? This whole entire stretch of land was overtaken with battle. I glanced around the tree and saw Jake. He was in a fist fight with a Confederate troop.

_At least he's alive, _I thought. I then noticed another enemy troop sneaking his way over to Jake, rifle raised and ready to fire. "Jake!" I shouted, hoping that he'd see the man that was about to fire at him. Jake looked around for who called his name, then dropped to the ground.

"No! Jake!" I shouted and ran out from behind the tree. The Confederate that shot him, turned around. But since he hadn't loaded another round into the rifle, he was unable to fire back at me. I knocked the enemy soldier off of his feet and pointed the end of the bayonet at his throat.

I then froze, unable to make another move. The soldier that had killed Jake, had his eyes shut tightly as he braced himself for his life to be cut short. His uniform hat had fallen off, revealing the long, dirty blonde hair underneath. I pulled the bayonet back some. What was I doing?

My emotions had gotten the best of me when I saw Jake drop to the ground. "What are you waiting for!" a voice shouted through the gunfire. I saw McDowell standing nearby, looking straight at me. Did he really expect me to kill this guy? I looked back down at the enemy soldier.

His eyes were open now, and he was looking right at me. They begged and pleaded for me not to kill him. What was I supposed to do? He didn't show any remorse when he killed Jake, so why should I show any to him. But if it was that simple, then why wasn't I able to go ahead and kill him?

I growled in aggravation at myself. At this rate, I wouldn't make it very far in this war. Another voice shouted at me, "Watch out!" I quickly began to look out for who was yelling. Were they directing the warning at me? I then saw Joe standing about the same distance from me as McDowell had been.

He was looking right at me, and kept shouting, "Watch out!" Watch out for what? I then turned to my left and saw a cannonball hit the ground beside me. The impact tore the ground up from underneath me, and knocked me to the ground. I laid on my back, disoriented and in a daze.

The sky above me was blurry and spinning, sending waves on nausea throughout my body. Somebody was talking to me, but I could hardly make out their words, or see them. Unable to fight through the dizziness and pain any longer, I blacked out.

_Alice_

I was sitting down at the table in my own house, enjoying the fact that I was where I belonged and not at Klaus' like I had been as of late. My grandfather walked through the front door. He set his hat down and took his coat off. "There's a battle taking place just beyond the state line," he told me.

I was surprised to know how close we were to a battle. I had heard the loud booms and such, but I had thought it might have been a thunderstorm. My mind could only imagine what kind of things were happening at that battlefield. Part of me really wanted to know, but the other part didn't want to see war at its finest.

My grandfather saw me staring down at the table and said, "Don't worry, Alice. It won't cross over into here." I snapped out of my thoughts and realized that he must have thought that I was scared. "I wasn't worried about that, Grandfather," I told him with a smile.

He saw that I was being honest this time, and nodded before taking a seat across from me at the table. He asked, "How are things with you and…..Klaus?" he asked. My grandfather hadn't been very approving of what I was doing by agreeing to marry Klaus just because I wanted to put an end to the marriage hunt.

I tapped my fingers on the table and told him, "Things are going good." _I think, _I silently added. Grandfather nodded and we sat there in silence for a while before he said something else. "How is Julie holding up without Billy?" I thought about how she had been the last time I saw her.

"She's doing better than when he was first sent off," I told him honestly. There wasn't much guarentee that Julie was a hundred percent fine, but at least she wasn't in tears every five minutes. Grandfather and I then sat in silence again, only to have it broken by a knock at the door.

He got out of his chair and said, "I'll get it." He opened the door and revealed Runo and Julie standing outside. "Hello, ladies. Please, come on inside," my grandfather said politely. They smiled at him and stepped into the kitchen. My grandfather then said, "I'll leave you three alone so you can talk."

He then vanished into another room. I saw that Julie looked a little bit worried, so I asked, "Is something the matter, Julie?" She bit her lower lip and pulled out another letter; I had a good idea of who it was from. She told me, "Billy's gone off to battle. He said something about it being somewhere near the Virginia state line."

_He's in the battle taking place nearby, _I realized. Did Julie know how close Billy was to us? Probably not. She was most likely so worried about him to realized that he was just one state over. The two girls sat down at the table with me. I took Julie's hand in mine and told her, "He's going to be fine. I'm sure he's fighting all for you."

Julie gave me a sad smile, but at least it was a smile. It had been so much work between Runo and I to keep Julie in high spirits. We both doubted that we could do anything to help her if Billy did die in battle.

It would have been hard on all of us if that happened, but none more than Julie. I hadn't ever felt the pain of losing somebody that I cared deeply for, and it was a difficult thing to try and picture. How would I feel if I lost my grandfather, or one of my friends? It was just something I couldn't bring myself to picture.

_Shun_

I groaned in pain and forced my eyes to open slightly. The blurry, blue sky that I remembered seeing last, was now the cloth roof of a tent. Pain radiated throughout my body, but was more profound on the side of my head. I brought my hand up and felt bandages on my right temple.

I then saw my arm, which had also been bandaged up. "Shun?" asked a somewhat groggy voice. I glanced around and saw Dan had been sitting in a seat nearby. He was rubbing his eyes, meaning that he had most likely been asleep. I asked him, "Where am I?"

The last thing that I recalled, was laying on the ground and not being able to see straight. Dan pulled his chair closer to the cot I was laying on and told me, "You're in the infirmary tent. According to what Joe told me, you got knocked back by a cannonball or something like that."

I vaguely remembered that happening. Dan ran a hand through his hair and said, "I'm just happy you woke up. I don't think I could handle losing both of my friends in one day." I stared at him, not knowing what he was talking about. "Both friends?" I asked. Dan nodded and let out a heavy breath before saying, "Yeah. Jake was killed out there today."

The memory then came back to me. I had watched it happen, and tried to get back at the soldier who had killed him. As far as I could remember, I never did kill the soldier who killed Jake. Perhaps the cannonball did. It didn't matter now.

I noticed that outside, it was awfully quiet. "Is the fighting over?" I asked. Dan leaned back in his chair and said, "Yeah. The Confederates made us retreat. We lost this battle. And badly too." Dan started to tell me how many casualties had been counted up so far, and I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

So far, there were over three-hundred dead, over a thousand injured, and over a thousand that were missing. And they weren't even done counting yet. Dan sighed and said, "I guess this war is going to be longer than we thought, huh?" Most of the Union thought that this war would be finished in a couple of months.

The South would be defeated with minimum casualties, but it wasn't looking like that now. Dan sighed and got up from his chair. "Well, I have to get back to my tent. Get some rest," he told me and left. I let out a heavy sigh. The sounds of those injured around me, finally came to my attention; how had I not noticed them when I first woke up.

The groans of pain, cries, and even the screams were almost enough to drive me insane. I had to consider myself one of the lucky ones when it came to the injuries I had obtained. An image of the soldiers who had first given me a rifle before going into battle, came to my mind.

Their arms were bandaged up, and one had been missing his eye. I covered my ears to try and block out the sounds of those around me. A field doctor then walked into the tent and checked on each of the wounded. When he got to me, he saw I was awake and pulled out a syringe.

The doctor told me, "You'll probably have issues sleeping. This should help." He injected the serum into my unbandaged arm, and I started to feel drowsy before he even pulled the needle out. The serum had taken its effect before the doctor left the tent, knocking me unconscious.

* * *

there will be no updates from tomorrow till saturday. i had band camp. and there will also be none monday and tuesday of next week. (more band camp) check out my poll on my profile if you havent. (there is a three way tie right now that needs to be broken). read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	10. August 1861: Collide

_Shun_

I sat around the camp, leaning against a tree, and writing in the journal that had been assigned to all of the soldiers. My injuries had long healed up, and I couldn't be more grateful. All those nights spent in the infirmary tent, listening to those who were worse off than me, was too much for me to handle.

There hadn't been a night when I laid there, wide awake because of the moans of others around me. The moment that I had been told that I was well enough to leave, I didn't hesitate. I heard footsteps and looked up to see Dan standing in front of me. He craned his neck to see what I was doing.

"You're really writing in that journal that they gave us?" he asked. I closed my eyes and told him flatly, "They gave them to us for a reason, and I'm going to use it." Writing in it had just been a way to vent so I didn't completely lose it. Dan shrugged and sat down next to me.

He folded his hands behind his head and said, "I wonder how the others are holding up." A number of the troops in our camp had been sent off to a battle taking place nearby; Dan, Joe, and I had been fortunate enough to not get pulled into this fight. And to be honest, I didn't think I was ready to go back into a battle for quite some time.

The carnage and fighting was still fresh in my mind, as was the image of Jake's death. I told Dan, "I don't know. We'll find out after their battle." Dan nodded then jumped up to his feet, "Hey! Instead of sitting around and writing in your little diary, why don't we go into this town that's nearby? I doubt anyone will care if we go site seeing for a couple of hours. I mean, it's not like we're the ones in the middle of a battle right now."

I thought about his proposal. True, we probably shouldn't leave the camp, but that was only if we were needed for one reason or another. The day had been slow as it was; most of the soldiers, and even commanding officers, were laying around and taking naps.

What harm could it have done to just walk around and get some fresh air? I told Dan, "We might want to find some normal clothes though. I don't think the people in this area will take too kindly to having two Union soldiers walking through their town."

Dan nodded and said, "That's true. So, let's just run back to our tents and get our civilian clothes and go." He ran off before I could add anything in. I knew it would only be a matter of time before it got to the point where Dan couldn't sit still any longer.

Closing the journal I had been writing in, I pushed myself up to my feet and walked over to my tent. I was the only one inside at the time, and quickly changed out of my uniform and into the civilian clothes we had also been issued. When I looked out of the tent, Dan was already standing outside, tapping his foot impatiently.

He saw me and said, "Took you long enough." I blinked and told him, "I only took a couple of minutes. I'm not the one who changed in two seconds." Dan ignored me and said, "Whatever. Now, let's get out of here before they decide they need us last minute."

We walked out of the camp without being noticed. As we went through the trees, I glanced over at my friend. He hadn't exactly been the same since the first battle we were thrown in. Maybe it was because of Jake's death, but there was no telling what else could have happened to him.

It didn't matter where you looked around in our camp, the war was changing all of us in some way. "Hey, guys! Wait up!" Dan and I both turned around. I immediately thought that an Officer might have chased after us, but when I saw Joe running towards us, I calmed down.

Dan mumbled to himself, "This guy again." I narrowed my eyes at him and said, "Play nice." When Dan shot a look at me, I tried not to grin. He wasn't all that fond of Joe, mainly because of how Joe could be somewhat of a mellodramtic, but Dan had made a promise to keep the kid safe during the war.

Whether Dan was really going to keep his word, was still beyond me. But I kind of had some respect for Joe. It had been Joe who shouted a warning to me and that cannonball struck the ground nearby. If he hadn't warned me, it might have hit and killed me.

Joe ran up to us, panting from the run. When he caught his breath he asked, "Where are you guys going?" Dan glanced at me, as if I'd give him the answer. When he finally realized that I wasn't talking, he sighed. "We're going into this town that's not far away."

Joe gave us that little kid smile that he had and said, "That sounds awesome. You guys care if I tag along?" Dan glanced at me once again. His eyes looked as if they were wondering why Joe was clinging to us. _It's because you promised to keep him safe, _I wanted to tell him. I spoke up before Dan and said, "Sure, Joe. We don't mind if you come with us." When we started to walk again, I could feel the glare that Dan was giving me. But that only made me smile.

_Alice_

I let out a long sigh. It was finally quiet again. After the Confederates won their battle, celebrations broke out all across the South. It had only been annoying to my ears. Why would anybody want to celebrate this? How many people had died in that fight?

In my opinion, we should had been mourning the losses, both Union and Condfederate, not celebrating the fact that the other retreated. I just didn't understand. What was wrong with the world? Or was it just me? Was I the only one who felt like this? Maybe something was wrong with me.

I stepped out of my house, and stared at the trees. They were starting to turn slight shades of brown as the seasons made their annual loop. I shook my head and stepped back inside for a moment to grab my purse. I needed something to keep my mind occupied for a little while.

I hurried down the driveway and onto the road, where I ran into a passing carriage. Once I flagged it down and asked if the driver minded taking me to town, I hoped inside and leaned back in the seat. The driver, on several occasions, tried to start a conversation with me to pass the time, but they died out not long after they started.

I wasn't in a talking mood at the moment. There was just too much on my plate. Even with the war going on, Klaus was still persistant with having the wedding happen. I had been using the war as a means to try and delay it, but that wasn't working according to plan.

He would always tell me, "War will not keep me from making you happy, malady." I sighed. My hourglass was running out of sand. In two months, I would be officially married to Klaus. Was this all really happening? It didn't feel like it. It was my wedding though.

Shouldn't I have been happy, or excited? I had been so lost in my thoughts, that I didn't noticed that the carriage had stopped. I quickly apologized to the driver and got out so I wouldn't waste anymore of his time. Quickly, I ran across the street and to the old store that Billy used to work at.

The little bell above the door chimed when I walked in. Somebody else was at the register; I had seen him around the town before, and if I remembered right, he was a good friend of Billy's. My memory was telling me that his name was Julio or something like that. I wasn't sure though. "Alice?"

I looked around and saw that Runo and Julie were in the store. They walked towards me. I noticed in Julie's hand, was a small stack of letters, most likely from Billy. _At least he's still alive, _I thought to myself. I motioned towards the letters and asked Julie, "So, what's up with Billy?"

Her eyes grew a little wider and she told me, "He told me he was almost killed during his first battle. Thank heavens that he wasn't." I thought about Billy's first close call, and who might have been the one to take his life. I could just picture Julie opening the letter, then freaking out when she read about what happened to him.

The man behind the counter cleared his throat and said, "Hey, ladies. Not to sound pushy or anything, but are any of you planning on buying something?" Runo and Julie shook their heads. "I am," I told him. He nodded his head and began to dust the shelves behind him.

I went ahead and left my friends where they were, and bought what I needed; some fresh produce for my grandfather. After paying for the fruit, I lifted the paper bag from the counter and walked back over to my two friends.

Runo looked at the bag and asked, "Your grandfather out of apples again?" I smiled and nodded, but I really didn't know. This was just something that I thought would take my mind off of some things. I told them, "Well, I better get these back home."

Julie then asked, "Can Runo and I come with you to your house? We want to talk to you about something." Somehow, I felt as if they wanted to talk to me about Klaus. That's all that seemed to fill their conversations lately. I nodded. "Sure. I'd appreciate the company too." With that said, the three of us left out of the store.

_Shun_

The town was nothing more than a couple of buildings; nothing compared to how things were back home in New York. But I seemed to like the simplicity of it all. There wasn't too much, and there wasn't too little. As we walked down the street, we didn't catch many curious eyes.

There were a few that glanced at us, but didn't pay us any mind after that. Behind me, I heard Joe say under his breath, "They all look like they're happy." I had noticed it too. We had heard all these stories about the Southerners being harsh because they owned slaves and such, but they looked no different than the people back home.

"I say we find something to eat soon," Dan mumbled. And so it began. We hadn't been out of the camp for more than an hour, and things seemed like how they were before the war started. I was looking at my surroundings, not paying attention to what was in front of me, and felt my body run into somebody.

I fell back onto the ground, a cloud of dust rising up when I did. I quickly snapped back into focus. I saw that apples and other fruit were scattered around. I began to pick them up and said, "I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention." My hand reached for a pear at the same time as the other person.

I then followed the arm up and saw the person it was attached to. It was a girl, about my age or a little younger, with bright orange hair. She glanced up at me and said, "It's alright. I should have been watching where I was going."

Behind her, two other girls stood with surprise on their faces. The one with silver hair asked, "Alice? Are you alright?" _So that's her name, _I thought to myself. Alice nodded, then smiled at her friend. The girl with blue hair then glared at me.

She snapped, "Why don't you watch where you're going!" I flinched back at her sudden temper. Didn't she see that it was an accident? Dan then appeared beside me and said, "Why should we watch where we're going? What happened to Southern hospitality? Huh?"

Dan and the blue-haired girl narrowed their eyes at each other. She said harshly, "I can tell that you're not from around here by the way you talk. So, why don't you just go on back to where you came from, Yank." Dan placed a hand on his hip and said with a sarcastic smile, "I thought Southern Belles were supposed to be sweet as honey."

He added in a Southern accent to the last part of his comeback. The silver-haired girl pulled her friend back and said, "That's enough, Runo." Joe did the same thing to Dan, while I was still knelt on the ground watching. I never thought that there was somebody as stubborn as Dan.

People had stopped and were watching us now. Quickly, I finished picking up the fruit that I made the girl spill. The sooner we got out of this town, the better. The last thing we needed was to get into any kind of trouble. I stood up, brushing the dirt off of my clothes.

Alice stood up as well and thanked me for the help. Joe then said to me, "I think we should be getting out of here before we have the whole town chasing after us." I nodded and turned back to Alice. "Uh, we have to go," I said and chased after my two companions.

_Alice_

I sat at my kitchen table, trying to block out Runo's ranting. "Who does he think he is! He can't say that to me!" She was infuriated by the little fiasco back in town. I just played it off as the fact that she had never met somebody who was as hard-headed as her.

Julie sat across from me at the table. For the past hour, the silver-haired girl had been trying to calm down our enraged friend. Julie finally gave up a few minutes ago. But my focus wasn't on Runo. It was on the guy who I had ran into back in town.

Ever since I got back home, that's all I had been able to focus on. Why? Runo had been right about those three being from the North, so didn't that mean that I shouldn't have been so focused on this guy? Then again, I had been different for sometime now.

I sighed. It would be for the best if I just pushed him out of my thoughts. I probably wouldn't ever see this guy again. But it still irked me that I couldn't figure out why he was filling my thoughts every minute. Runo slammed her hands down on the table, snapping me back to reality.

She shouted, "He's an arrogant jerk! That's what he is!" My grandfather then walked through the door and said, "Who's an arrogant jerk? Surely it's not me." Runo scratched the back of her neck nervously and said, "No. Not you, Dr. Michaels. Uh, somebody else."

He nodded and said, "I'd hope not. Now, isn't it getting late? I'm sure your parents want you two home before dark. Don't you think, Runo? Julie?" They quickly caught on that my grandfather was asking them to leave, and hurried out of the house after saying their good-byes.

My grandfather then walked over to the bowl that I had put the fruit in, and took an apple out. He asked, "Anything interesting happen today?" He took a bite of the apple and looked at me. I smiled and said, "No. Not really. We just ran into some people from up North."

He walked around the kitchen with the apple and said, "If you say so, Alice." He then left out of the room. I sat at the kitchen table and stared at where he had been standing. _What do you know?_

_Shun_

"A hot-headed, self-absorbed devil is what she is! If I ever run into her again, I'm going to tell her that! I swear it!" Joe ran a hand through his hair. Dan had been shouting and yelling the entire way back to camp, and it was starting to get on Joe's nerves, but not mine.

I wasn't even paying any attention to Dan. I was too busy wondering why I couldn't get that girl out of my thoughts. It was strange. For the past month, all I could think about had been the war and how shaken up it had made me. But in one afternoon, my thoughts had completely shifted.

_I have to forget about this, _I told myself. The way it was taking over my thoughts, wouldn't turn out good for me if I was in the middle of another battle. I would surely be killed in a matter of minutes if I couldn't regain my focus and see what was really in front of me.

_Besides, you won't see her again, _I told myself, trying to convince my thoughts to stop thinking about what happened today. Dan was ahead of me, stomping around and still shouting. Joe was beside me and said, "I give up. He's not going to calm down for a while…Hey, you ok? You've been out of it since we left that town."

I didn't want them to know that I could only focus on this one thing, so I told him, "Yeah. I'm just tired. The heat probably got to me today." Joe seemed to believe my lie, and he didn't bring my strange behavior again.

* * *

__**yes, i am alive. band camp didnt kill me. (yet) o.o but there won't be anymore uploads till thursday. (more band camp) -.-'' check out my profile for a poll. (there's a four way tie now -.-). read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	11. September 1861: An Eye For An Eye

_Shun_

One would have thought that a little under a month would have been enough for me to clear my thoughts, but it wasn't. My mind still drifted back to the orange-haired girl I met back in town. A couple of times I had been tempted to go back, but the chances of running into her were probably slim.

That, and Dan, Joe, and I had gathered enough attention the first time; and it wasn't the good kind. I sighed and tried to get back to writing in my journal. Dan was laying down on the ground near me. He ran a hand through his sweaty hair and said, "How can these people live in this kind of heat? It's not even noon yet and I feel like I'm being cooked alive."

I wasn't arguing with him there. It was insanely hot, and I was grateful that we weren't off in another fight. Between the wool uniforms we had to wear, and all of the running around in them, I wouldn't have been surprised if most of us collapsed from the heat alone.

Joe, as if he had been reading our thoughts about the heat, suddenly appeared with a couple of cups of water. He smiled and said, "Thought you guys might appreciate something to drink." Dan sat up and took the water, only thanking Joe after the last drop of water was gone from the metal cup.

I, on the other hand, sipped on my water and made it last longer than a few seconds. I set the cup down beside me and closed my journal, finally deciding that it was pointless to try and write anything. Nothing had been happening lately.

Yeah, there were a few more small battles, but none of them got to the point to where reinforcements had to be called in. In fact, the Union had won a couple if I recalled correctly. I took another drink of my water and noticed that Joe was keeping to himself more than he normally did.

I soon realized why when I saw him staring at a picture in his hand. Dan must have noticed as well since he asked, "What ya looking at , pal?" Joe smiled and turned the picture around to where we could see it. It was a small photo of a girl with hair almost as black as mine.

"This is my fiacee that I was talking about. Her name's Chan," he said with a slight grin. I examined the picture closely and told him, "She's pretty." Joe took the picture back and tucked it away inside of the journal that had been assigned to him.

"Yeah, I know. I had sent her a letter a while back asking if she could send me a picture of her. It finally got here yesterday." I thought about how difficult it must have been when he discovered that he had to leave her behind. _This is why I'm happy that I didn't have to deal with a good-bye._

Dan placed a hand on Joe shoulder and told him, "Hey, you'll see her again. Remember, you have me and Shun looking out for ya."

I still hadn't figured out if Dan disliked Joe, or actually thought of him as a friend. It was hard to tell at times. I decided it was best not to dwell on that right now. It didn't matter until we were in battle. Only then would it be clear if Dan really cared about making sure Joe got sent back home or not.

_Alice_

"Anymore tea, ma'am?" I snapped out of my thoughts and remembered the servant that had been standing by my side, holding the steaming hot tea kettle. I shook my head. "No thanks. I'm good." He nodded and walked off. I had been zoned out and thinking about what had happened back in town almost a month ago.

I had literally ran into this guy. It was clear that he and the other two with him weren't from the South; the way they talked, acted, and looked gave that away. But for some reason, I was still finding my thoughts returning back to the one with black hair.

I kept trying to push it away, but something always made me remember him. I wanted to run into him again and at least talk to him and get to know him. He seemed like a good person, despite being from the South's so-called enemy.

Klaus then walked into the dining room; although I didn't notice him since I was zoned out once again. When he placed his hands on my shoulders, I jumped. He looked over my shoulder at the plate of food that had been set in front of me for lunch.

"You've hardly touched anything, malady. Is something wrong?" he asked. I had completely forgotten that the food was there. "No, I'm fine, Klaus. Just not that hungry." He then snapped his fingers together and said, "I know why you're not hungry. You're nervous about our wedding next month, aren't you?"

I wanted to groan. All he had been talking about was our wedding, and I wished for nothing more but for him to stop for one day. I turned around and gave him the most convincing smile I could muster. "You know me too well," I lied. He smiled and took the plate from me.

"Well, you can't stop worrying. Everything will go just fine, Alice." He then walked off to another room. I leaned back in my chair and wanted to bash my head in on the table. I was started to doubt that I'd be able to deal with spending the rest of my life with him; I could hardly stand being around him for a night.

Thankfully, I didn't have to shared a room with him just yet. After we were married, and I had moved all my belongings into the Antebellum home with him, then I'd have no other choice but to room with him. That was what married couples did.

I sighed, feeling tired already. I took my time as I walked up the stairs to my room. A short rest was the only thing on my mind at that moment. I stepped into my room and took my hair down from its elegant style. Laying down on my bed, I closed my eyes; I didn't even bother to take off the dress that I had been wearing.

All I wanted to do was sleep. At least in my dreams, I was free from all that worried me. I probably would have slept through the night, if it hadn't been for the barking of dogs. I sat up, rubbing my tired eyes. They were the howls and barks of the dogs that tracked down slaves that tried to run from the plantation.

So, I instinctively thought that somebody was trying to run. Curious, I climbed out of my bed and peered out of my window. From the second story, I could see Klaus, along with a few other people, walking towards the barn. It was dark outside, and the only light was provided from the moon.

But I could just make out the shape of a horse that they were leading along, and what looked like somebody draped over to horse's back. If it was a slave, I wondered what they would do to him or her. If it was anything like what I had witnessed out in the fields before, then I didn't want to watch.

But something told me it would be much worse. I didn't want to sit by and know that this person was about to be hurt. Klaus and his party walked the horse into the nearest barn. They stayed in there for a moment, then left out, closing the door behind them. Once I was sure that they were no longer to where they could see me, I grabbed a small knife that I kept with me for protection, and snuck out of the house.

_Shun_

Dan, Joe, and I sat around a fire that had been built that night. Fellow soldiers had been sharing stories for most of the night. I hadn't been paying them that much attention to be honest. Dan had shared some of his own, but I had heard and been there for most of them.

A part of me was getting anxious. I wanted a change of scenary or something interesting to happen. But at the rate things were going, I was in nothing more than a rut. I stood up and told the group, "I'm going to walk around for a little bit."

None of them tried to stop me. Then again, why would they? As Dan would tell me, I was being nothing more than a killjoy. I walked around on the edge of camp, being sure not to trip over anything in the darkness of night. Somehow, I had made my way over to the calvary horses.

They hardly paid me any attention as I walked by them. I stopped and thought for a moment. Surely nobody would care if I took one and rode around the area for a little bit. Maybe it would give me the change of pace that I was desperately needing.

Carefully, I untied one of the horse's reigns and climbed up on the saddle. The horse stepped back a little ways before going forward. I tugged on the reigns, slowing the horse's pace down to a more gentle speed. The cool night air and slight breeze felt good to me.

And seeing something other than the pop-up tents was nice too. I kept on going, making mental landmarks so I could find my way back. I had been gone for a while when I ran across a small stream. Halting the horse near the water, I slid off and splashed some of the water onto my face.

"This is just what I needed," I said to myself with a grin. My peaceful silence was broken by the barks and howls of dogs, which in turn, spooked the horse. Before it had the chance to run off, I grabbed the reigns and tried to calm him down, completely ignoring the barking dogs that seemed to be getting louder and closer.

Something then grabbed my forearm, and was able to throw me down onto the ground; if it weren't for being caught off guard and being distracted, they might not have been able to do that. I rolled over onto my back and was faced with about four rifle barrels pointed at me, each with a bayonet mounted on the end.

The horse had been calmed down by somebody else, who was now holding its reigns and glaring at me. My eyes shot back to the four people pointing weapons at me. As I scanned their faces, I immediately stopped at one. The blue hair set it off instantaneously for me.

"You," I said with disgust. He narrowed his eyes at me and said, "It's a good thing me and my friends were patrolling my land for any runaway slaves. If we hadn't, then we would not have found us a rat among mice. Tie him up and take him back to the barn. I'll figure out what I want done to him later."

One of his 'friends' tied my hands and feet together, then tossed me on the back of the horse I took. I blew the hair out of my face and told him, "You can't do this." The blue-haired man turned and shot me a grin. He said, "My land, my rules. I can do whatever I please."

They walked towards a large Antebellum house. As they got closer, they turned and led the horse onto a barn. The same guy that tied me up, yanked me off of the saddly and tossed me into one of the horse stalls; thanfully, there hadn't been a horse in there.

Two others then took my bound hands and hooked the rope onto a hook just above my head. So now, my hands were suspended above me, and my legs still tied together, leaving me completely helpless. I tried tugging the hook down with the rope, but that only caused me pain as the rope dug into my wrists.

The blue-haired guy, the one who had taken me hostage, just laughed. He said, "Go on and try to get loose all you want, it isn't going to help you. Now, come morning, me and my friends here will figure out what we want to do with you." I glared at him, wishing that by some miracle I could suddenly break free and get in at least one good hit on this guy.

He and his friends then left the barn, and I was in total silence. I sighed. _Just couldn't stay at the camp, could you, Shun?_ I then kicked my tied legs in anger at myself. By the time somebody noticed that I wasn't at camp, these guys would have done punished me as they saw fit. What could they possibly do to me? Shoot me?

At least that would be quick. Leave me in this horse stall and let me starve? They could still do worse. I sighed when I heard the barn door creak open. I started to look around in the darkness for whoever was in here this time. The stall door then opened, and I saw the silhouette of somebody; they appeared to be holding a knife in their hand.

I snapped, "What? You guys have already decided on what to do with me? That was quick. Thanks for not keeping me waiting." I was trying not to act terrified, but I was. The person then knelt down beside me and brought the knife towards me.

I shut my eyes tightly, waiting to feel it cut into me. But when I felt the rope on my wrists being cut, I opened my eyes. Now that the person was closer to me, I could see who they were. "It's you," I said in complete shock. It was Alice, the girl that I ran into back at town.

My wrists were then finally cut free. I rubbed them where the rope had started to cut into my skin. Alice then looked up at me, and I could see in her face that she finally recognized who I was. "You're….You're that guy from town!" she shouted then covered her mouth when she realized that she yelled.

Alice then quickly went back to cutting the ropes from my ankles. I just sat there, utterly shocked. What was she doing here? A thought then ran across my mind from back when I first met that blue-haired guy back up in New York. He had mentioned something about not wanting me to taint his fiancee or whatever.

Was this that fiancee that he was talking about? If it was, then I could never picture somebody like her, with somebody like him. The knife then cut through the last of the rope. I quickly stood up, knocking over a metal bucket when I did. The clanging metal echoed around in the barn, and I heard the dogs barking again.

Alice told me, "You need to hurry up and get out of here. If Klaus catches you again, there's no telling what he'll do." I wasn't so much worried about what he'd do to me, but rather what he'd do to her if he found out that Alice helped me escape. I asked, "But what about you?"

She got behind me and shoved my shoulders, pushing me out of the stall. "Don't worry about me. I've got this taken care of. You're the one that needs to get out of here." I nodded and looked around for the calvary horse I took. It was in a nearby stall. Before climbing up on the saddle, I turned and looked at Alice and said, "Thanks for helping me."

I climbed up on the horse's saddle and took the reigns in my hands. The dogs' barking was getting louder, and I was suddenly reminded about how I was captured back at the stream. _They aren't going to get me again. _I then whipped the reigns, and the horse took off out of the barn, leaving the plantantion far behind me.

_Alice_

I tossed the knife into the hay of a nearby stall and ran out of the barn. The guy that Klaus had captured had been the same guy that I ran into back in town, which surprised even me. Klaus and his dogs came running up to me. "Alice, what's going on? Did the prisoner escape?"

I couldn't let him find out that I was the one who freed his prisoner. I told him, "Yeah. I heard the dogs barking and stepped outside to see what was going on, and somebody came running out of the barn on a horse and into the woods."

Klaus stomped his foot on the ground and said, "Dammit. There's no telling where he's run of to now. Oh, well. I'm just glad he didn't hurt you, Alice." Klaus then wrapped his arms around me in a hug, and I hesitated for a moment before hugging him back.

He then broke the hug and said, "Now, come back inside." I followed behind him, but stopped at the door of the house. I turned around and looked out into the woods where that guy had escaped through, and I hoped that he made it to somewhere safe and out of Klaus' reach.

* * *

**yes, the tie in the poll has been broken at last, but i would still like more input. so, please do vote if you haven't. well, band camp went...decently. while marching yesterday, my bad hip got worse, and if it's not better by tomorrow then i'm going to a doctor. so, there may not be an upload tomorrow. i know there probably isnt going to be one saturday since i'm going to a wildlife show. so in the meantime, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	12. October 1861: Invitation

_Shun_

After the fiasco back at that plantation, the thought of leaving the camp was the last thing that came to my mind. After Alice freed me from that psycho, I had hurried back to the camp as quickly as I could. As far as I could tell, I hadn't been pursued by anyone, but I still didn't want to wait around to find out.

Once I got back to the camp, there wasn't a single person awake, and I quietly slipped into my tent without my absense ever being noticed. It was probably for the best too. If somebody had seen me sneaking back into camp, then I would have been questioned, and then I would have had no other choice but to tell them what happened.

Even if I did lie, I would still most likely get in some form of trouble. But that was now behind me, and I didn't have to worry about any of the consequences of my leaving. Although, I was worried about Alice. Had something happened to her after I left?

What if that guy, Klaus if I recalled the name correctly, found out that she helped me escape and decided to punish her? Those thoughts had been haunting me since that night. I just wanted to know if she was alright. If something happened to her because she helped me, then I would feel at fault.

I laid back on the cot in my tent and sighed in aggravation. Even though it was the middle of the day, I hadn't even left my tent. It wasn't like I had to do anything that day; once again, it was slow and nothing much was going on around the camp.

The tent flaps then opened and Dan stepped inside. "There you are, Shun," he said. "Joe and I have been looking around everywhere for you." I rolled my eyes, annoyed that my time alone had just been ruined. Joe then walked in behind Dan.

Somehow, I felt that Joe had become Dan's replacement for Jake as of lately. Perhaps it was his way of coping with the loss of his friend, so I wasn't going to bring up the topic. I sat up in my cot and asked, "What do you want?" Dan held his hands up defensively and said, "No reason to cut my head off, buddy. We were just wondering where you were since you didn't show up for breakfast or lunch."

To be honest, I didn't want to leave my tent, much less eat the same stuff that we had been having all week. I told him, "I guess I just didn't hear them call for us to go and eat." When I had actually heard the bugle sound for both breakfast and lunch.

Dan raised an eyebrow at me and asked, "Are you sure you're okay? The heat isn't getting to you, is it?" I wished that it was only the heat, but I was more sick with a feeling of guilt that something may have happened to Alice because of me.

"The heat isn't getting to me. So, stop worrying," I told them sternly. Dan and Joe exchanged looks at each other before leaving my tent. I sighed and laid back down on the cot, waiting for the next interruption to show up, but one never came.

_Alice_

Klaus was still steaming over the fact that his 'prisoner' had gotten away from him. I had made sure to keep distance from him, just so I wouldn't get caught up in his sudden outbursts of anger. I was actually afraid of what he'd do if he ever discovered that I was the one who let that guy get away.

Would he hurt me? Or just yell at me? Either way, I wasn't too eager to find out what my punishment would be. But I was eager to know if that prisoner had gotten away safely. From what I could gather from the clothes he was wearing that night, he was with the Union army, meaning that he was most likely stationed at a camp nearby.

If that was the case, then I could probably sneak in there and see if I could find him. Surely none of those soldiers would shoot me. I could always tell them that I was curious and stumbled upon the camp. Klaus knocked on the open door to my room and said to me, "I just wanted to ask if there was anyone else you want to invite to our wedding."

The wedding. It was to be held at the end of the month, and Klaus was going over the final preparations to make sure that everything would go smoothly. I told him, "I just want Murucho, Julie, Runo, my Grandfather, and parents." Klaus scanned the piece of paper in his hand and said, "Alright, I've got them all written down."

He then walked out of my room, and I let out a sigh once I made sure he was out of earshot. I turned and looked in my mirrow. "Time to put on a smile, Alice," I said to myself and smiled into the looking glass. I left my room and walked downstairs into the main room of the house.

Klaus then appeared at the bottom of the stairs. _What does he want now? _He held out an envelop to me and said, "Murucho invited us to a ball that's being held in a couple of days. It's couples only, and I was wondering if you might want to go. I understand if you would rather stay home that night though, with all the stress from the wedding planning and such."

I took the envelop from him and read the letter inside. And just as Klaus had said, it was a couples only ball. I thought about it for a moment and said, "I think I'd rather stay at home that night. But thank you anyway for asking, and thank Murucho as well for the invite."

Klaus took the invitation back and tucked it into his coat pocket. "Alright, but I'll have it in my coat in case you change your mind." _Which I probably won't._ He then walked into the kitchen, passing a servant right as he crossed the threshold.

_That servant has been in town way more than I have. Maybe he knows if there's a Union camp nearby, _I thought to myself before running up to him. "Um, excuse me. Can I ask you something?" He nearly dropped the plate he was carrying.

A blush then crossed his face, most likely from embarrassment. "Of course, Miss Alice. What is it?" he said while setting the plate down on a nearby table. I found the words I needed and said, "You and the other servants are in town a lot, right? Would any of you happen by chance know of or heard of a Union army camp that's close to here?"

The servant ran a hand through his graying hair and said, "There's been some talk of one just over the state line a couple of miles away. Might I ask why you want to know that, Miss Alice?" I laughed nervously. "Oh, no reason. Just wondering."

He nodded and took the plate with him, then hurried to wherever it was he was going before I stopped him. Getting a good idea of where that camp might be, I decided I would go and look for it later that night. Most likely it was where that battle had taken place a couple of months ago. So, how hard could it be to find such a place?

_Alice_

Night rolled around at last. Once I was certain that Klaus and all of the other staff members were sound asleep, I put on a long, hooded cloak and snuck past the guard dogs and into the barn. I passed by the stall that the prisoner had been in, and continued until I found one with a horse.

Without spooking the animal, I entered the stall and tightened a saddle onto its back. The idea that I was sneaking out to find a Union camp, was sending a thrill throughout my body. It was a rush that I hadn't felt before, and a good kind at that. I climbed up on the saddle and rode the horse out of the barn in a full gallop.

I reached town in a matter of minutes. The busy streets and businesses that made up the small community, were completely empty as their inhabitants slept. I then commanded the horse to keep going, and I was soon leaving the town behind me. Now, I had the horse going at a slow walk through a heavily wooded area.

The dark shadows casted by the trees gave me an eerie feeling, and I was starting to wonder if I should have been doing this. Was I really this desperate to know if this Union soldier was okay? I then halted the horse when I saw the flicker of orange flames.

They were campfires, and ones that most likely belonged to the Union camp I was looking for. I jumped off of the horse and tied its reigns to a low-hanging tree limb. I then pulled my hood over my head and quietly approached the camp, hiding behind trees and underbrush whenever I could.

The sounds of chatter and laughter grew louder as I got closer, and soon I was able to see groups of Union soldiers gathered around campfires. Was Klaus' prisoner anywhere among them? I searched group after group, not seeing the one person I was looking for.

My eyes scanned the area, then finally stopped when I saw him. He was leaning against a tree that was alienated from the socializing groups of soldiers. He also appeared to either be reading or writing in a book of some kind.

All I knew was that I was relieved that he had made it back safetly. But surely I wasn't going to come all this way and not say anything to him. I knelt down on the ground and gathered several small pebbles, then tossed one in his direction.

_Shun_

I was leaning against my usual tree, writing the day's events down in my journal; which wasn't very much. I mainly just kept talking about my capture from last month. Suddenly, a small pebble dropped down onto a page in my journal.

I looked over at the nearest group of soldiers, thinking they were throwing rocks at me for their ammusment, but they looked as if they didn't even know I was behind them. Another pebble landed on the ground beside me. This time, I saw where it came from.

A figure quickly ducked behind a tree, but I saw a person nonetheless. I growled and closed my journal, then stood up and walked towards the trees. "Alright, Dan. If that's you throwing rocks, then don't whine whenever I hit you." I walked around the tree and saw somebody other than Dan.

They were much smaller, and a hood covered their face. The person removed the hood, and I saw it was Alice. My eyes widened with surprise, and I suddenly started to look around to make sure nobody else saw her. "What are you doing here?" I whispered to her.

Surely none of the other soldiers would try and kill her, but that didn't mean that they would try and do…..Well, other things. But I was relieved to know that Klaus hadn't harmed her. She whispered back to me, "I wanted to make sure you made it back here in one piece."

_She was worried about me?_ _Why? She should have been more concerned about her own self._ "As you can see, I'm fine. Does that Klaus guy know you let me go?" I asked quietly. She smiled and shook her head. "Nope. He doesn't have a clue…..For now at least."

That on its own was a good thing in my opinion. I looked around to double check and make sure that nobody saw the two of us talking. I then turned back to her and said, "You should probably be getting out of here before somebody notices you."

She held up her index finger to signal for me to hold on. "I never got your name," she told me. It finally occurred to me that I knew hers, but she didn't have the slightest clue as to who I was. I told her, "Shun." She smiled and said, "That's different."

I found my own self smiling when I said, "I've been told that a lot. Now, you need to get out of here." She nodded and started to walk off, then stopped and turned back around to face me. "Would you want to go to a party in a couple of days?"

I was taken aback by her question. "A party?" I asked, still not sure if I had heard her correctly or not. Alice nodded. "Yeah. It would give us a chance to get to know each other a little bit better. Why? Is there some kind of rule saying that Union soldiers aren't allowed to have fun every now and then?"

There was no such rule, but I'm sure that something like this was looked down upon. But then again, what did I care? I didn't volunteer for any of this. I was forced into it. "I don't know what I'd wear. I highly doubt that I could show up wearing my uniform."

I looked down at the blue and gold trimmed uniform. Alice crossed her arms over her chest and said with confiedence, "I can get a hold of a suit for you. So, what do you say? You want to go?" I could see in her eyes that she wanted me to say yes, and I was certain that I wanted to say it as well.

I smiled. "Sure." Alice smiled and told me, "That's great. See you at the end of the week." She then turned around and vanished into the darkness of the forest. I stood there for a little bit longer, thinking about what I had just agreed to.

* * *

**i think the next chapter is going to be awesome. this is a two-part section in the story, so the rest will be continued in the next chapter. i find it convenient that there were no major battles during this time-frame of the Civil War. o.o it's working to my advantage though. anyway, i went to a chiropractor this morning to look at my hip, and he didnt see anything but is going to look at the x-rays over the weekend. but he did see that i have a curved spine. o.o he popped my back, which felt amazing, and realigned my spine. X) i highly recommend going to a chiropractor. but there will NOT be an upload tomorrow for i have plans to go to a wildlife show. also, please vote. i want EVERYONE'S opinion on what the title for my zombie fic should be. so, read, VOTE, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	13. October 1861: Consequences

_Alice_

It was the day of the couple's ball, and I had to make sure all of my plans would go smoothly. Klaus couldn't know that I was going, and if anyone else found out, I had to make sure they wouldn't tell him. As part of my plan, I had told Klaus the day before, that I wasn't feeling well and would stay at my own house over the weekend.

He fell for it, so I had no worries about him noticing me sneaking out of his mansion. As I fixed my hair in front of my mirror, I saw the envelop out of the corner of my eye. Last night I had swiped it from Klaus' coat pocket while he slept.

Along with that, I took one of his black suits for Shun to wear for tonight. I still couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that I was really doing this. Julie and Runo then walked into my room, and I jumped from the surprise of their sudden appearance.

Runo looked me over and asked, "Going somewhere tonight?" They had no idea that I was going to the couple's ball without Klaus, and I was going to keep it that way. As far as they were concerned, they still thought I was going with him.

And that was just how it needed to stay. I smiled and told them, "I'm going to that couple's ball that Murucho is hosting." The two girls looked at each other. Did they buy it, or did they somehow know that I wasn't going with Klaus. _Calm down. You're getting paranoid._

Julie then ran behind me and said, "If you're going then you need to do something with your hair, Alice." I let out a sigh of relief. They were still clueless and didn't see through my partial lie. Julie played around with my hair until she felt satisfied with how it looked.

And I had to admit, it looked pretty nice. It was slightly up, with my natural curls lining my face. I told them, "Thanks for the help, but I have to get going if I want to be on time." I made sure to grab the envelop, which was my ticket into the party.

Julie said to me, "Alright, Alice. You and Klaus have a good time." A pang of guilt made my stomach flip. "Yeah," I told her softly. "I'm sure we will, Julie." I still felt like I was cheating on Klaus. Was it considered cheating if I didn't even like my other half back?

I shook my head, trying to throw those thoughts out of my mind. This night wouldn't be filled with guilty thoughts about Klaus. It would be a night for me to actually have a good time; something that I hadn't had in a while. Before I cleared the door and stepped outside, I scooped up the duffle bag with Shun's suit in it.

Hopefully, it would fit him. He and Klaus looked like they had about the same body build and height, so I saw no reason why this suit wouldn't work. I immediately saw the carriage that I had borrowed for the night. The driver sat there, patiently waiting while reading a book.

He noticed me coming towards him, and put the book away before taking the horses' reigns in his hands. I climbed in the cab, placing the duffle bag in my lap and holding in the invitation in my hand. The carriage then began to move and head towards the town.

_Shun_

"I'm going to sleep," I told Dan and the group he was sitting with that night. He didn't say anything, but just gave me a nod of his head. Of course, I wasn't exactly going to sleep. It was the night of that party that Alice invited me to, and I had been crazy enough to agree to go to it.

But I had promised her that I'd go with her, and I was going to keep that promise. Like she had said, there wasn't any rule saying that I wasn't allowed to have a little fun during the war, was there? I slipped into my tent, covering up a pile of pillows onto the cot to make it look like somebody was sleeping.

Once I was satisfies with that, I snuck away from the camp and made my way over to the cavalry horses. I took the same one that I had on the night of my capture. I dug the heel of my foot into the horse's side in order to make him move. Within a matter of minutes, I was in the town.

I forced the horse into a slow walk as I looked around for Alice. I eventually found her standing in front of the store that we first met each other at. I halted the horse a few feet short of her and hopped off the saddle. She greeted me with a smile and tossed a duffle bag into my arms.

I caught it without any trouble and looked inside; there was a black suit in there. "Alright, I'll go change," I told her and stepped behind the store. Once I was in the suit and had my other clothes tucked away in the bag, I stepped out from behind the building and said to her, "How do I look? Cause I feel like an idiot."

She giggled and told me, "You look fine. I take it you don't go to formal events very much back up North." I shook my head. Normally, anytime that I was invited to any kind of formal gathering, I turned it down. It was just something that didn't stir my interest, but this one was different.

There was actually somebody's company that I would enjoy while being there. "So, are you ready to-" Alice cut me off before I had a chance to finish my question. She told me, "You're not going to be able to talk to anyone unless it's absolutely necessary. Because these people will immediately figure out that you aren't from the South, and that will end badly for everyone if they find out."

That little fact had completely slipped my thoughts. Being from up North, I talked in a completely different way than the people from here. I held a finger up to my lips and said, "I won't say a word." Alice smiled and said, "Alright. Now, we can go."

_Klaus_

"We're here, sir," said my personal carriage driver. I hopped out of the cab and thanked him, then walked up the steps of Alice's house. She had told me the day before that she wasn't feeling well, and would stay here until she felt better.

But I had been worried about her, and decided to pay her a vistit; despite it being a little past dark. _Hopefully, she won't mind._ She hadn't minded my previous unannounced vistits. I knocked on the door, and was greeted by her grandfather. Behind him, I saw Julie and Runo.

_They must be here to take care of her, _I thought. I turned my attention back to her grandfather and said, "Is Alice awake?" The three of them looked at each other, confusion on their faces. What was so difficult about that question? "We thought she was at the couple's ball with you," Runo told me.

I raised an eyebrow and said, "No. She told me that she didn't want to go to that ball. Plus, she also told me yesterday that she felt sick. What's going on here?" They all shook their heads, and I could tell they were honestly as confused as I was.

Thoughts began to dart through my mind, and I stomped off from the porch and back into my carriage. I leaned forward and told the driver, "Take me to the meeting hall. Now." He followed my order and made the horses begin to move.

As we rolled into town, I didn't even wait for the carriage to stop. Instead, I opened the door and jumped out, running up to the meeting hall once my feet hit the ground. I ran around the side of the building and looked through the window, and I was able to see inside through the slit in the curtains.

My eyes scanned the ballroom, then widened when I saw Alice. She was dancing with _him. _The guy who I ran into up in New York. The same one who I had just captured not a month ago, and got away. Anger boiled up inside of me. How could _she _do this to _me_?

After all that I had done for her and given her? I tightened my hand into a fist and slammed it into the siding on the building. Emotions were running rampant inside of me; anger, sadness, betrayal. I stomped back over to the carriage and got inside, slamming the door shut behind me.

I snapped at the driver, "Take me home." He turned the carriage around and did as I told him to. I sat there in my seat, anger still growing. When the carriage pulled up in front of my mansion, I made my way over to the barn. I walked into the stall that I had thrown that guy into, and began to kick the hay in a blind rage.

Then, I heard the cling of metal. I knelt down on the ground and dug around in the hay. Soon, I found the knife that Alice kept on her person whenever she went into town. My hand tightened around the handle of the knife.

She had been the one to let the prisoner loose. What other kinds of betrayal had she done to me, and I never knew of. Was our engagement an entire lie as well. Out of anger, I threw the knife across the stall, making the blade stick into the wood of the barn.

_Shun_

Another song ended, and out of respect, an applaused was given to the performers. They soon started another song, and Alice and I followed the steps of everyone else around us. She whispered to me, "Just cause I said you couldn't talk, didn't mean you couldn't talk to me."

I smiled and said back, "Well, you weren't that clear about all of the rules." I was pretty sure that was she had meant earlier when she first told me not to speak to anyone. It was only as a safety precaution so all Hell didn't break loose.

As we danced among the other people, I asked her, "So, what's the deal with you and that Klaus guy?" Her eyes widened somewhat when I mentioned his name. They then lowered some as she said, "He's my fiance. We were supposed to get married at the end of the month."

I felt strange, dancing with another man's woman. Especially when that man, was completely insane and tied me up in a barn. I told her, "But you don't act like you're too thrilled about that. Isn't a wedding supposed to be a happy occasion?" She smiled, but it was filled with more sadness and grief, rather than happiness.

"For most people, it is," she said. "But not for me. I'm not marrying him cause I love him, but because I have to. You see, my parents found me all kinds of potential suitors, and I just got tired of seeing them all and one day-" I cut her off and finished the sentence for her.

"And you got stuck with him." Alice nodded. The whole thought of being forced to marry complete strangers, it sounded ridiculous to me. _But I guess that's how things work down here._ "Okay, you asked me something. Now, it's my turn. What's the war like?"

Her question caught me somewhat off guard. Why would she want to know anything about the war? I told her flatly, "It's a war. That's about it." War wasn't supposed to be fabulous or extravagant. It was bloody, and violent. Something that nobody should ever have to go through.

We continued to ask each other questions until the party finally ended. Once it did, we walked back to where I had tied up the horse that I borrowed. I stepped back behind the general store and changed back into my own clothes, which were a lot more comfortable than that suit.

I handed Alice back the duffle bag and said, "I think he might want that back." She smiled and took the bag. "I doubt that," she told me. I hopped onto the horse's saddle and told her, "I had fun. We should do this again, if we ever get the chance that is."

I was sure that both of us knew that I could be called to go off to another battle at any moment. That was just how it worked. Alice nodded and told me, "I agree." I made the horse head off back towards the camp before my absense was noticed, and when I got back, I quietly tied the horse up with the others and made my way back to my tent.

"Shun? What in the world are you doing?" I froze in my spot and saw Dan poking his head out of his tent. "Uh," was all I could say. Dan stepped out of the tent, rubbing his eyes, and walked over to me. He then sniffed the air near me and said, "Dude, you smell like perfume."

I was still unable to find any words to say. A sly grin then appeared on Dan's face when he said, "Shun, you dirty dog. Who were you with all night?" I narrowed my eyes and hit him in the arm. "My personal life is none of your concern," I told him sternly and stalked off to my tent.

_Alice_

A smile still was on my face as I stepped out of the carriage and walked towards my house. But it quickly vanished when I noticed Klaus sitting on the bench. "Klaus? Wh-what are you doing here at this time?" I asked, trying to remain calm.

He slowly stood up from the bench and said, "I could ask you the same thing." His voice was filled with poison, but his words were also slurred. I asked him, "Are you….Drunk?" My worry was building more and more, causing my hands to shake.

Klaus walked down the steps of the porch and pulled something out of his pocket; it was my knife, the one I used to free Shun with. He then threw the knife at the ground in front of my feet and spat, "I think you left something in the barn."

I quickly picked the knife up, scared that Klaus might try and do something to hurt me. I didn't have to wonder if he knew what I did tonight. It was perfectly clear that he was well aware. He then started to approach me, and I brought the knife up. "St-stay back," I told him.

Klaus looked down at the knife in my shaking hands, and all he did was slap it out of my grip. The blade then went flying off to the side, leaving me without any line of defense. Klaus then tightly grabbed a hold of my wrist and threw me onto the ground.

"Cheating wench!" he shouted. "I thought you actually cared about me!" Tears were started to flow from his eyes, and I was reminded about what Julie and Runo had told me one time. That if Klaus ever found out that I didn't have feelings for him, how hurt he would be.

And the longer it went on, the worse it would be in the end. Julie and Runo had been right about that. "I'm sorry, Klaus," I told him. Klaus narrowed his eyes at me and shouted, "You're sorry? I think the only thing you're sorry about is the day when you decided to marry me!"

I flinched at his words. The door to my house opened, and my grandfather, Julie, and Runo ran outside. Grandfather ran up to my side, checking to see if I was hurt. Minus I few cuts on my hands from where I broke my fall, I was fine.

"I didn't go into the war because I didn't want to leave you behind, but you can forget that now. I'm signing up, and you're little 'friend' you were with tonight, better pray to God that I never meet him on the battlefield," Klaus said coldly and stumbled off down the road.

My grandfather asked me, "Are you okay, Alice?" I didn't even realize that I was crying until Runo knelt beside me and handed me a hankerchief. I took it from her and wiped my eyes dry, then turned to my grandfather and told him, "I think so."

He helped me up and inside of the house, where he then made me a hot glass of tea. I sat at the table, staring at the hot liquid, and thought about what my actions had just caused.

* * *

**i woke up early enough to get this done before i had to leave, so enjoy the fruits of my labor. o.o i'm such a nerd for saying that. ah, drama. i love it so. (in stories, not real life) it sucks in real life -.- please do vote if you havent and read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	14. November 1861: An Emotional Battle

_Alice_

I stood in the doorway of Klaus' room, watching him stuff clothes into a duffle bag. He was doing the last of his packing before going off to the war, and it was because of me. The only reason I was back at his house, was because I needed to gather my own belongings.

I stared down at the floor and said, "Klaus, you don't have to go." Just because I had no feelings for him, didn't mean I wanted to watch him go off to a possible death. It had been fault for all of the grief I had put him through recently, and I didn't want to be the reason he was shot on the battlefield.

That, and if he ever did find Shun during a battle, things would get ugly. Klaus paused for a moment then turned and shot a glare at me. "Why do you care if I go?" he asked harshly. "I was only staying in order to protect you, but I have no reason to do that anymore, do I? You seem to be able to handle yourself just fine."

Klaus packed the last of his belongings into the bag and walked out of the room, but stopped beside me. Without looking at me, he said, "Finish gathering your things and have a nice day." He then left my side and walked out of the mansion.

I walked over to his bed and sat down. I hadn't meant for things to spiral so out of control. Yeah, I didn't love Klaus, but I didn't want to cause him any pain or grief. That was why I had kept my real feelings for him as a secret. I sighed, not wanting to go home.

The main reason for that, was the fact that my parents were angry at me for making Klaus call off our wedding. They didn't know why he called it off, for if they did then it would be so much worse for me if they found out that I had lied to everyone in order to sneak out and go to a dance with a Union soldier.

How would things be now if I hadn't asked Shun to go with me to that dance? I would probably would have been married to Klaus by now, whether I liked it or not, and living with him. My parents would have been overjoyed for me, but my grandfather would stand off to the side and wonder why I was still going through with all of this.

Julie and Runo would most likely be the same way. But none of those scenarios were even possible anymore. Everything that would have been how it should have, had turned upside down; my parents were disappointed at me, but my grandfather was happy to know that I wasn't going to suffer and fake a smile whenever I was with Klaus.

I rested my chin in the palm of my hand and sighed. A servant then appeared at the door, holding my luggage, and asked, "Are you done gathering your things and ready to go, Miss Alice?" I reluctantly forced my tired body to get up.

The servant escorted me out to a carriage and threw my bag in the back seat with me. Usually, the drivers would try and talk to you, but not this time. He didn't utter a single word to me. Did Klaus tell him not to speak to me unless he had to? Or did he just not have anything to say?

I feared that if it was the first scenario, then I could start expecting the whole town to treat me like this. Klaus had power in the town, and he could turn me into a pariah if he wanted to; making people look in the opposite direction from me, and not saying a single word to me.

A sick feeling crept up my stomach as I thought about being cut off from everyone else, just because Klaus told them to. But he wouldn't do something that cold, would he? Right now, Klaus was irrational and completely unpredictable. So, anything could be possible.

All I could do was hope that he didn't turn the people of the town against me. The carriage stopped, and I took my bag and got out. The driver then left, and without even so much as a good-bye. I walked up the steps to my house and went inside. Like usual, my parents weren't at home.

But for once, I was grateful for it. I didn't want to face them. I set my bag down by the kitchen door, and saw my grandfather was sitting at the table, sipping on tea and reading a book. He glanced up and said, "Oh, Alice. You're back already."

I sat down across from him and rested my elbows on the table. Grandfather sighed and closed his book. "You haven't so much as uttered a word about what happened that night, Alice. How can any of us help and understand if you won't tell us?"

He was right. Julie and Runo had been trying to their best extent to help cheer me up and convince me everything was alright, but they couldn't exactly help me as long as they didn't know what was troubling me. All they knew, was that Klaus was yelling at me that night; the argument never got more specific.

"Am I a bad person?" I softly asked my grandfather. His eyebrows raised up in surprise. "No, Alice. Why would you think that?" I wasn't sure myself, but for some reason I felt like I was one. I had caused somebody pain, and ruined what they saw as their perfect life.

And in turn, it had turned mine around as well. My grandfather sighed and said, "Just tell me what happened that night. Other than what we saw outside." I swallowed the lump in my throat and said, "You probably figured out that I went to that ball with somebody other than Klaus."

Grandfather nodded and continued to wait for me to finish. "Well, Klaus apparently found out that I went with somebody else, and when he saw who it had been, he wasn't too thrilled about it." My grandfather rested his arms on the table and leaned forward, looking completely focused on what I was tell him.

"Who did you go with?" he asked. How would my grandfather react to knowing that it had been with Shun, somebody from the Union? I knew that Grandfather opposed the war and didn't hate those from the other side like most people did in the South, but would he still look down upon it?

"It was with a Union soldier that's stationed nearby," I blurted out and braced myself for his unpredictable answer. He wore a confused look on his face when he asked, "Where in the world did you meet a Union soldier? I know you didn't go wandering off and stumbled into a camp, did you?"

I shook my head, seeing that if that had been the case, then things would look worse for me than they did. "No, that didn't happen. I first ran into him while I was in town. He helped me pick up something that I dropped and that was it."

I saw my grandfather was about to say something else, but I cut him off. "I'm not done. About a month later, Klaus had captured him somehow and I snuck out and let him go. After that, I had been worried and wanted to know whether or not he made it back safetly, so I left and went searching for the Union camp. When I found it, I talked with him for a little bit and I asked him to go to that ball. I don't know why I did, but I guess it's way too late to change anything now."

My grandfather just sat there in silence. Was he waiting to see if I'd say anything else, or was he trying to determine whether or not what I did was to be disapproved of. Instead of saying something, he got up from the table and walked over to my side, and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"It'll be alright, Alice. The past is the past. All of this is behind you now." I smiled up at him. His words were reassuring, but I was still not entirely sure about whether things really would be okay.

_Shun_

After last month, I kept looking around, expecting Alice to suddenly appear at the camp again. Was I expecting her because she had shown up before, or did I want her to show up? I ran a hand through my hair and sighed, my breath coming out as a little cloud.

The weather was starting to turn cooler as the winter months got closer. It was hard to believe that this year was almost over with. It felt just like yesterday that Dan, Jake, and I were sitting at the bar back home and argueing over whether the country would spin out of control.

So much had changed since then, that it wasn't even funny. Dan walked up to me, rubbing his hands together and said, "I take back what I said about it being hot. I'd take the heat over this cold weather any day." I had my eyes closed and told him flatly, "And you'll say the same thing when summer rolls back around."

People could never determine whether they liked the hot or cold; it never really mattered to me either way. Although, our wool uniforms were much too hot to wear during the summer, but not exactly warm enough for the winter.

Dan kept trying to warm his hands and said, "You still never told me about who you had your little rendezvous with that night." I rolled my eyes. Dan had caught me returning to the camp that night after the ball, and he had smelled perfume on me; not only Alice's, but other people's that had rubbed off on me as well.

"I've told you before, it's none of your business," I said flatly. Dan gave me a look and said, "It might not be any of my business, but I still want to know." I let out a frustrated sigh, seeing now that Dan wasn't going to let it go. "Alright, if it will shut you up. You remember that girl that I bumped into back at that town?" His eyes widened and said, "The one who was friends with that blue-haired devil? Yeah, I remember her."

That sly grin appeared back on his face and I quickly told him, "We just went to a party. Nothing else went on you sick-minded-" I was cut off by the sounds of cheering and yelling. Dan and I exchanged a look at one another, then ran over to the source of the sound.

We then saw the Union soldiers that left for battle, walking back up to the camp. Many of them were bandaged up somewhere on their person, but none of them were missing limbs. But what we were missing, was about half of the numbers that had originally left.

A soldier next to me said to himself, "Looks like we won at the Battle of Belmont." Other soldiers that had stayed with us at the camp, ran to congradulate their fellow comrades on making it back safetly, and for winning their battle.

A bugle then sounded, making the cheering soldiers quiet down. Walking past the mass of troops, was a man who looked a little bit up in his years. He wore a Union General's uniform. Unlike the other commanding officers I had seen before, this man wasn't graying, or balding.

In fact, he still had most of his hair, and its color. One of the soldiers that had just returned to the camp, whispered to those around him, "Quiet. General Grant is about to say something."

The General cleared his throat and said in a booming voice, "I applaud those of you who have made it that far, but as we saw back at Belmont, this war is going to go on far longer than any of us could have anticipated. So, I say celebrate your victory now while you can, before you are thrown back into battle once more."

McDowell then appeared by Grant's side and brought a horse along with him. Grant then thanked him and hopped on the horse and rode off from our camp.

* * *

**im sleepy. i guess this is what i felt for going to be late. -.- i may not be able to upload tomorrow, since i have to go and meet my teachers. tuesday is kind of debatable since i have another chiropractor appointment, in which i will find out if there is seriously something wrong with my hip. and Wednesday, my uploads will become later than usual since i start school again. aye. busy busy busy. also, vote if you havent. i'm very happy to see that more people have voted, and i feel comfortable as to where the poll is going. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	15. December 1861: Rebel Yell

_Shun_

I never thought that Joe could have become more of a nervous wreck. He was on edge ever since General Grant showed up and informed us that we should be ready to go into battle at any given time; and no matter how much Dan and I tried, we couldn't convince Joe to calm down.

My mind wasn't exactly focused on going off into another battle though, but rather more on Alice. I found it amusing how my thoughts had completely shifted from being consumed by the war, to this one girl. Dan broke my train of thought when he asked, "Can I borrow your jacket? Mine isn't warm enough and I'm about to freeze to death."

I gave him a look, which I hoped he would interpret as me thinking he had lost his mind. "You have your own jacket, Dan. Live with it," I told him flatly. He whined and went to somebody else, literally asking them for the clothes off their backs.

Being dead winter, it was quite cold; nowhere near like it was back home, but still enough to make one shiver. The difference between home, and where we were now, was that we could only deal with the one jacket that had been given to us.

Unlike back home, we were able to get our hands on more clothing if needed. A man on horseback came walking up to the camp, two large sacks hanging on the sides of the horse's saddle. I recognized him as the messanger that delivered letters to the soldiers at our camp.

Knowing that I wouldn't be expecting anything, I remained where I was seated. That is, until I heard the messanger call my name. Confused as to who would send me anything, I got up and approached him.

"Yes?" I said. The skinny man handed me an envelop, which had been the last piece of mail to be delivered, then rode the horse out of the camp. Dan popped up beside me and said, "Looks like you finally got some fanmail." I rolled my eyes and tore the envelop open.

Taking the letter out, I unfolded it and scanned the writing. It was from my grandfather back up North. I muttered under my breath, "Looks like the old man finally realized I wasn't home anymore." Before leaving for the war, I had made sure that he didn't know about my draft into the Union army.

It had gone well until just now. Dan snatched the letter from my hands. "Wow. Seems like Gramps is pretty ticked off," he said after reading the letter. Dan's assumption was correct. My grandfather was angry at me for not telling him that I had gone off to war. It still bugged me to know how he found out.

The only ones who I had told about my draft, had been Dan and Jake. Perhaps one of them had mentioned it to their parents, and they finally relayed the message to my grandfather. Regardless, there was nothing I could do about it.

It wasn't like I could just pack up and go home to set things straight. I was stuck in the South until the war ended. _Whenever that may be._ I took the letter back from Dan and crumpled it up. "What are you doing? Aren't you going to send him one back? You know, to let him know you're still alive?" he asked me with wide eyes.

I tossed the letter into a nearby campfire and told Dan, "He'll find out if I'm still alive when the war is over." I then walked off, leaving Dan standing by himself by the fire that was now consuming the paper I had thrown into it.

_Alice_

I adjusted the shawl on my shoulders and stared at the Antebellum home before me. Things had gone back to how there were in no time. After my parents calmed down from hearing about my break-up with Klaus, they started to send word out that I was single was once again.

Did they not understand that this was _my _life? The Antebellum home looked like Klaus' and every other one I had seen since all of this had started. My mother stood behind me, smiling brightly as if this was the best present she could have ever given me.

"Go on, Alice," she told me. I sighed and walked up the stairs of the house. A sickening familiarity set in as I reached for the doorknob, and I felt as if I would burst into tears. Why did I have to go through all of this again? I just wanted to be happy.

_Like I had been the night of the dance. _That had been the happiest I had been in a while. I had yet to turn the doorknob, and I let my hand fall back to my side. Behind me, my mother asked, "Alice? Is something wrong? Is the door locked or something?"

It was time for me to put an end to this. This had already gotten out of control once before, and I wasn't about to go through it all over again. Slowly, I turned around, facing my parents. "I don't want to do this," I said softly. My mother joined me at the top of the stairs and asked, "What do you mean you don't want to do this? Don't you want to get married and be happy?"

A sudden anger built up in me, and I wasn't able to hold it in. "I do want to be happy, but not like this!" I shouted. My mother took a step back, as if my words had slapped her in the face. She said, "Your father and I are just doing what's best for you and what we think will make you happy, Alice."

My anger boiled up again. _How can they be so ignorant? _I snapped at them, "This isn't making me happy! All while I was with Klaus, neither one of you could tell that I was miserable. I may not have said anything about it, but it must have been clear to see in my eyes. You're only doing this because it will make you happy, not me."

The door of the house opened up behind me, and my latest suitor and his parents stepped outside. He asked me, "Is something wrong out here? We heard the yelling from outside." My mother quickly stepped in and said with a smile, "No, nothing is wrong. Just a little talk with my daughter. Now, how about you two get to know each other?"

My eyes widened. I was never one to get mad at somebody, but this was sending me over the edge. I yelled at her, "I'm done with this!" I picked up the skirt of my dress and ran down the stairs, my panting breaths coming out as cloudy wisps in the cold air.

I heard my mother shout at me, "Alice! Come back here!" I wasn't going back there, of course. Knowing that if I stuck with the main road, they'd catch up with me in the carriage. So, I ran off into the woods that lined the plantation. Winter-stricked limbs grabbed onto my dress, tearing the fabric and scratching at my legs.

But I didn't care. I was getting far away from that insanity that had plagued my life. No longer was I going to be put on display like a piece of art at an auction. No. That was over with. My legs started to grow tired from running, and my pace slowed down until I had stopped in my tracks. I hadn't the slightest clue as to where I was at; all of the surrounding trees looked the same, and there were no other landmarks for me to go by.

I began to walk around and saw a clearing up ahead. Without thinking, I ran to the clearing and saw I was at another plantation. Outside, I caught a glimpse of familiar blonde hair. Attached to that hair, was Murucho. A smile crossed my face, since I knew that Murucho would be on my side in all of this.

I ran out from the woods, waving my hand and shouting, "Murucho! Murucho!" He turned around and saw me running towards him. When I stopped in front of him, his eyes scanned over me. I must have been a sight; cuts, scraps, and tears in my clothing.

He asked, "Alice? What happened to you? And what are you doing way out here? You know what, never mind. Come inside." Once inside, Murucho allowed me to use a bathroom and clean the dirt off of me. When I stepped out from the tub, I saw a clean dress laid out for me. I figured it was one of his mother's, since she was the only woman in the house that would wear these kind of clothes.

But they fit me nicely, and I wasn't complaining. It was so much nicer than having to get back into my ripped up dress. After getting into my new clothes, I left out of the bathroom and searched the mansion for any sign of Murucho.

After asking a few servants, I found him in a sitting room, eating on grapes. He saw me and said, "There you are, Alice. Please, take a seat and help yourself to something to eat if you want." I sat on the couch across from him and said, "Thanks, Murucho."

He took another grape and popped it into his mouth. "So, now that you're more comfortable, do you mind telling me what all of that back there was about?" My fingers started to fidget with the skirt of my dress when I told him, "My mother is trying to make me marry again, and I don't want that. I want to be able to choose who I'm going to be with."

Murucho nodded and said, "I see, but sadly that's how things work around here. It's been tradition in some families for generations. But I always knew you were a bit of a rebel, Alice." A rebel? That was the last thing I'd ever see myself as.

But as I thought about it, I kind of fit the bill. I wanted to do things my own way, in a world where things were done for me by other people. I had helped free a Union soldier, and went to an event with him as well. Not to mention when I snuck out and showed up at the Union camp.

But the image of me as rebel was hard to imagine. Murucho rolled a grape between his fingers and said, "I heard about what went down with you and Klaus." That sick feeling returned in the pit of my stomach. What happened after the dance that night, wasn't exactly something I was proud of.

And especially now that word seemed to be getting around. "Oh? You did?" I said, trying to sound surprised. As long as it didn't get out that I was with a Union soldier that night, things wouldn't be that bad for me. The short blonde nodded his head and told me, "Indeed, but I don't blame you, Alice. You didn't like Klaus from the start, and anyone with a brain could have seen that this was going to happen."

I found myself laughing a little bit. Murucho was the best at cheering me up, whether he knew he was doing it or not. He picked up the now empty bowl of grapes and told me, "You're more than welcome to stay her tonight, Alice. I'm sure that you don't want to go home just yet, do you?"

I shook my head. In this case, home was not where the heart was. Right then, it was probably no different than a battlefield in the war. Murucho handed the bowl off to a servant and said to me, "I'll escort you to one of our spare rooms. Feel free to join us for dinner if you want to."

Murucho guided me to my room and left me there. I stepped inside, feeling somewhat like I was back at Klaus' mansion. Or any of the other Antebellum homes for that fact. I sat down on the bed, then fell onto my back and stared up at the ceiling before falling asleep.

* * *

**aye. i go back to school tomorrow. -.- joy...not. check out the poll if you have not. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	16. January 1862: Remember Who You Are

_Alice_

I stood before my house in the cold morning air. Finally getting up the guts to return, I had Murucho give me a ride back here in one of his carriages. Now, I wasn't so sure if I wanted to go through with it. Nobody inside was awake just yet, but I knew it wouldn't be that long until my parents woke up for the day. I bit my lower lip and thought about what I would face if I did walk through that door.

Would they still be angry at me, even after a month since I ran off from my latest suitor's home? I would think that they'd be much more worried about me than angry. Then again, my parents had surprised me quite a lot lately. They weren't who I thought they were.

Not by far. I tucked my hands underneath my arms, for they were getting cold in the morning air. "Well, I can't just stand out here all day," I whispered to myself. I then heard movement from inside of the house, and ducked behind a tree to keep from being seen.

My grandfather walked out of the house, my mother standing in the doorway behind him. She asked, "Are you going out to look for Alice again?" Her voice didn't sound very concerned. It was more along the lines of annoyed. Grandfather said to her without turning around, "Yes. That's more than what you two have been doing." _So they haven't been looking for me. _

I was disappointed, but not surprised. _At least Grandfather cares enough to look for me, _I thought to myself, trying to lighten my already darkening mood. My grandfather then walked down the road leading up to the house. My mother shook her head and went back inside.

"Maybe I should wait a little bit longer before I make my appearance," I said under my breath. What would I do though? I already felt like a burden on Murucho after staying under his roof for almost a month. Julie and Runo might have taken me in, but surely my grandfather and parents were checking their house often for any signs of me.

I sighed and started to walk away from the house. But as I turned around, I bumped into something. I looked up and saw my grandfather standing in front of me. Startled, I jumped back before I realized it was him. He wrapped his arms around me and said, "I thought I heard you over here."

It surprised me that his hearing was still that good. Or perhaps I had been making quite a lot of noise as I stepped on the leaves beneath my feet. Either way, he knew I was there. "I'm sorry if I made you or anyone else worry. I just had to get away from it all," I said softly.

He patted my back and broke our hug. "You didn't worry me too much. I had a feeling you were okay," he said to me. "You were always a fighter, Alice." His words made me think back to when Murucho had called me a rebel. Was I the only one who didn't see it in me?

I only pictured myself as somebody that was innocent and not capable of causing any trouble. Maybe I had been blind to the things I did. "I don't think I'm ready to come back home just yet, Grandfather." He looked at me for a moment before asking, "Then why did you come back here?"

I adverted his questioning looks and said, "I thought I was, but I was wrong." I felt a tear trying to escape from my eye. The reality was starting to set in. My parents cared less as to whether I was okay or not; they were still fuming over the fact that I ran away from them while I was being taken to another suitor.

"Why can't they see this isn't what I want?" I asked my grandfather in a shaky voice. He placed a hand on my shoulder and told me, "Some people are just so aborbed in their selves, that they don't see what's really going on. It's kind of like this war. Some people in it, are fighting for all of the wrong reasons and don't even know why it was started in the first place."

His words were easy for me to understand, but all I did was nod my head instead of saying something back to him. What was there to say anyway? "You come back whenever you want to, Alice. At least I'll know that you're okay," he said. I nodded, and wrapped my arms around him in a hug.

If only my parents could take some advice from my grandfather. But it probably wouldn't have done any good. They hardly listened to me, much less anyone else. I broke the hug with my grandfather and started to walk towards the road.

Since Murucho thought I was going back home and staying there, he didn't leave a carriage for me. So now, I had to hope one would pass by. I had walked a good distance, and had no luck of flagging down a carriage. Although, I should have known better than to expect one to be going down the road this early in the morning. As I followed the road back towards Murucho's, I passed by the train station.

Being so early, not many people were working there yet. A train was stopped at the platform, and people were stepping off. I thought about running up there, buying a last minute ticket, and going wherever that train was about to depart to. _Maybe one day, _I thought to myself and continued to walk down the road.

_Shun_

I woke up before most of the camp due to the blaring of a train whistle not far off. Letting out an annoyed groan, I quietly sat up in my cot, then stepped out of the tent. The sun wasn't quite above the trees, leaving the sky somewhat dark. I rubbed the sides of my arms as the cold air bit at my exposed skin.

Not feeling like going back in the tent for my jacket, I braved the cold air and walked around the camp. I made sure not to make any noise and wake anyone else; I didn't want to wake the wrong person and get on their bad side. I sighed, watching as my breath turned into a little white cloud before me. I continued to walk around the camp, passing the remains of last night's campfires.

It was amazing how dead this place could look and feel without its inhabitants up and about. I almost felt like they had all been taken by the war, leaving the camp desolant and abandoned, and I was the only one left as I walked past tent after tent.

Maybe one day this camp would look like that, but hopefully I wouldn't be the one seeing it. Knowing that the people around me, could be here one moment and gone the next, left a sick feeling in my stomach. I could end up being one of those people.

Heck, I should have been after my first battle. If it hadn't been for a stroke of luck, I would have most likely been dead after that battle. As I kept walking around, my foot knocked over a bucket that had been filled with partially frozen water.

The slush poured out onto the ground. I tensed up as I waited to see if the noise had woken anybody up. When I saw that everyone was still asleep, I let out a relieved sigh. I then saw my reflection in the water as it seeped into the ground. I looked different than I did before the war.

Then, I looked like any other young person in the town. Now, I looked tired and much older. _And I haven't even seen as much action as some of the other soldiers. _At times, I remembered that there were other camps like ours, each one filled with just as many soldiers.

And many of those were in the middle of some of the worst conflict of the war. I hated to know how I would have looked if I was in the same place as some of those soldiers. Who else had the war changed? Dan? As far as I could tell, he looked and acted about the same.

Maybe a bit more mature, but he was still the same person that I remembered from before the war. Joe? Well, I hadn't known him before all of this, so I had nothing to compare him to. I was sure that he had changed some. Maybe he wasn't as scared of things as he might have been before the war; but there was no real way to tell.

All of the water had soaked into the cold ground now, leaving behind a wet spot. Sometimes, it was good to remember who you were, but not in this case. This only showed, how much of a toll all of this fighting had taken on me.

_Alice_

As soon as I walked up to the door of Murucho's mansion, storm clouds rolled in and rain began to fall. Pressing myself against the door in hopes that I wouldn't get soaked, I knocked rapidly on the door and shouted, "Murucho! It's Alice! Please let me in!"

I knocked a couple of more times before the door opened. I had been pressed so hard against the door, that when it swung open, I fell inside the house and landed on the floor. Murucho's mother had been the one to answer, and when she realized it had been me who fell into her house, she knelt beside me.

"Oh, dear. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" she asked as she tried to help me up. I got up on my feet and smoothed out the skirt of my dress. "I'm fine, ma'am," I told her. Murucho then appeared and saw me. "Alice? I thought you went back home," he said.

A guiltly feeling formed in my stomach. Murucho thought I was going home, and not coming back here. "Well," I started. "I kind of backed out and realized that I wasn't quite ready to go back. I'm sorry if I'm being a burden to you. If you don't want me to stay anymore, then I understand."

Once I said that, a bout of thunder started up outside. Murucho's mother draped her arm around my shoulders and said to me, "You are of no burden to us, dear. In fact, you are like family and are more than welcome to stay here as long as you want, and whenever you want."

I smiled at her, and suddenly wished that my parents were more like Murucho's. _At least they act like they care about me. And I'm not even their kid._ Murucho then walked up to me and said with a smile, "You can stay in the same room you were in when you felt."

I smiled at him and gave him my thanks. I was lucky to have friends like Murucho to lean on when I needed it. I walked up to my old room, and saw that things were still like I had left it; apparently, nobody had gotten around to straightening things up yet.

Slowly, I made my way over to the window and peered out of the curtains. The storm had turned everything black as night outside. But even through the howling wind, I could hear the distinct sound of a train whistle out in the distance. I then caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror beside me.

I turned my attention towards it and sighed. My eyes were dark underneath them, and I looked as drained as I felt. I remembered how lively I had been before the engagement to Klaus, the war, and so on. I needed to get myself into something new, something else that would hopefully return that life to me. But all I could do now, was remember who I used to be.

* * *

**ah. i say my first day of school went pretty well. i get to go to my other classes tomorrow. but i am dog tired though -.- again, uploads are going to be later thanks to well, school of course. check out the profile for my poll. im very happy with the votes i have now, but i still want to know more people's opinions. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	17. March 1862: Runaway

_Shun_

The sudden blaring of the bugle, startling the others in my tent and jolting myself awake as well. Knowing that it was all too early for this to be a breakfast call, I stepped outside of the tent and looked around. Others, curious like me, had gotten up as well and asked one another if they knew what was going on.

I noticed Joe was jogging towards my direction. "Hey, Shun, you have any idea as to what's happening?" he asked once he got within earshot of me. I shook my head, just as lost as him and every other soldier in the camp. The bugle sounded a couple more times, most likely to tell still-sleeping soldiers that they had to get up.

Dan walked up to Joe and I, and before he could even ask, I told him, "No, I don't know what's going on. So don't even ask." He stared at me for a moment and mumbled under his breath, "Grouch." I ignored his comment, not caring for whatever it was he had to say.

It was just Dan being Dan, after all. Down towards the gathering area, I noticed somebody on horseback riding in. When he didn't leave the spot, I took it as a sign telling us to go to them. Other soldiers seemed to have caught this hint as well, and soon we were all making our ways towards the area.

Thanks to the early morning fog, I couldn't see who the person was. It couldn't be the messenger; they wouldn't sound a bugle for his arrival. Whoever it was, was somebody who was either important, or had something important to say to us. Perhaps both.

As we got closer, I saw who it was; General Grant. Whispers and murmers erupted around me. The horse moved around underneath him, but with one quick tug on the reigns, he calmed the animal down. McDowell then popped up beside Grant and his horse.

With a quick clearing of his throat, he said, "General Grant is here to give you all some very important information. So, I'll let him take it from here." McDowell stepped out of the way, as if giving the floor to Grant. The General scanned over us, and I wondered how we must have looked to him.

Inexperienced soldiers that could have fallen asleep right where they were standing. He then straightened up on the horse and said, "I'm sorry to interupt your sleep, but this is urgent and couldn't wait till later in the day." He paused for a minute to make sure that everyone had heard him.

Once he was sure that his words hadn't slipped past anyone, he continued. "But I need soldiers. I am planning an attack in Tennessee and need troops to take with me." He didn't need to repeat those words. Hearing that we were about to be thrown into battle once more, had gathering most everyone's attention.

I quickly glanced around and saw that Dan didn't seem all that surprised about this. Then again, it was only a matter of time before we were forced to fight once more. Joe on the other hand, looked like he had on the first day we met him; scared out of his mind, and on the verge of being sick.

"We don't have enough room to take all of the troops at once, so will the ones who have the most battle experience please go and gather your things and depart to the train station," Grant said flatly. There was hardly any emotion behind his voice.

Had the war taken its toll on him, or was he just trying to do this for us? Did it really matter either way? Around me, the soldiers that had just returned from their recent battles, headed off towards their tents. Grant then told the rest of us, "Go ahead and gather your things. Once the second train arrives here, then you're all off to the battle site."

He then popped the horse's reigns, making the animal gallop off somewhere else. After that, I made my way over to Dan and Joe, and for a moment, I thought that we would have to give Joe a sedative to calm him down. Dan popped him upside his head and told him, "Relax, dude. We're still going to make sure that you don't die."

Joe glared at the brunette, then sighed. "I know, but it's still something I'm not going to get used to. Not after seeing all the kinds of things that happened back at Bull Run." I understood what he was talking about. The images of that battle, still haunted my mind every once in a while.

Already, I heard the first train leaving its station, and I knew that ours couldn't be that far behind. I told my two friends, "We better hurry and get our stuff together." They nodded their heads and left for their tents.

As I made my way towards mine, I suddenly felt as if any of us would ever have another place to call 'home' again. As much as we had been packing and moving around, no place was permanent for us, and it had been foolish to think that we would stay at this camp for the remainder of the war.

_Alice_

I was setting on a bench in town, watching carriages roll past me along the dirt roads. My eyes kept wandering around; they stopped and stared at the place where I met up with Shun for the dance, and then the meeting hall where the ball had taken place, and other places as well.

But those two places were the ones I looked at the most. _I wonder how he's doing, _I thought to myself. It had been several months since I spoke or saw him; my life had been so messed up after that night, that I hadn't actually thought that much about Shun.

Now that I was back in the town, the site of those good memories, I couldn't help but remember him now. I turned and looked towards the direction of where the Union camp was. Were they still there, or had the soldiers moved on to somewhere else? What if they had?

Then what would I do? Move on, I guess. But a part of me didn't want to move on. I stood up from the bench, and my thoughts were disrupted by somebody shouting at me. "Alice! Hey, Alice!" I turned around and saw Runo standing next to a waving Julie.

They were both standing in front of the general store that Billy used to work in before he went off for the war. My mind then wandered over to how Billy was holding up. As far as I knew, Julie was still getting letters from him, so I assumed he was still alive and well.

I walked over to the two girls and smiled. "Hey, guys. What's up?" I asked. Runo pointed to the store and said, "Julie and I were picking some things up for Murucho." I stared in confusion and asked, "Why didn't he just ask me to go get his stuff since I was going to be in town all day? I wouldn't have minded it."

Julie waved her hand nonchalantly and said, "He didn't want to trouble you since you've been going through a lot lately." I appreciated Murucho's kindness, but running a quick errand for him wasn't a problem for me. If anything, it would have gotten my mind off of some things. "Alright, I guess," I muttered under my breath.

Julie and Runo went in the store, leaving me standing outside. I watched through the glass window as they walked around and got Murucho what he needed. Then, I glanced around and saw that the traffic on the streets had cleared up. Seeing the thinning out of people as an opportunity, I snuck off towards the woods and retraced my steps back to the Union camp.

_Shun_

I stuffed the last of my things into my duffle bag, wishing that this was the last time I would ever have to pack this thing. But something told me, it wasn't. Doing a double check of the things that I needed to take with me, I left the tent when I was sure that I had everything.

At all of the tents around the camp, soldiers were finishing up their packing and waiting around for the train to show up and take us off to another battle. My mind pondered what this one would be like. Worse? Better? Less bloody? More bloody?

A multitude of questions like that bombarded my thoughts, until my eyes caught a glimpse of somebody running through the trees at the edge of camp. My curiosity stirred, and I set my bag down as I carefully made my way over to where I saw the figure run by.

I craned my neck and looked around each tree that I passed by, thinking that I'd see the person behind it. I finally got to one tree, and had two brown eyes staring at me. Startled by the sudden appearance of a person, I stepped back until my mind finally reminded me as to who I was looking at.

"Alice?" I asked stupidly. She smiled and said, "Hey. I see you found me." I started to look around and pushed back into the woods so she'd be out of sight. _This is just like when she showed up the first time._ Her smile vanished when she asked, "What's the deal with the pushing?"

The fact that she was at a Union army camp, apparently still hadn't crossed her mind. I didn't want to take any chances and let her been seen, because there was no telling what somebody would do if they did see her. "I thought I told you that you couldn't be here," I whispered sternly.

The innocent look she gave me, made me feel like I was scolding a little kid. "I know," she said softly. "I just wanted to talk with you. Things have been crazy for a while, and-" I cut her off before she could finish her sentence. "You need to go back home," I told her, trying to sound gentle but stern at the same time.

I was about to leave off for another battle, and that meant leaving her behind as well. I couldn't afford to get anymore involved with her than I was. "Why?" she asked, a spark of defiance in her voice. What a stubborn one she could be. I placed a hand on her shoulder and told her truthfully, "You have to go because this whole camp is going to be empty in a few hours. We're leaving off for another battle, and there won't be anyone left here."

Her eyes showed no more defiance, but rather disbelief and shock. _This was why I was hoping to avoid, _I thought to myself. Why did she have to come here today? Why not yesterday when we knew nothing about our upcoming battle, or after we left?

Back in the camp, I heard McDowell shouting, "Hurry up and finish packing! The train is going to be here in about twenty minutes!" I turned back to Alice and said quickly, "I have to go, and you should too." I then turned around and hurried back to the camp.

_Alice_

I wasn't sure what to think. All I did, was stand there, trying to figure out how to take in all of this news. The one person that had actually made me somewhat happy, was going off to a battle. As if things weren't bad enough for me, now this was coming to an end.

Had there even been anything there from the start? There had to have been. There just _had _too. So much had started to slip from my grasp, and I would be damned if I was going to let anything else elude me. I glanced up and looked at the camp.

It was getting emptier by the minute, and out in the distance, I heard the train blowing its whistle. A sigh escaped my lips. I may not have wanted anything else to get away from me, but what could I do to stop it? There was no way that I could stop a war, even if I had the power needed for it.

A soldier stepped out of a tent, and laid out his folded, blue and gold uniform on a cut tree stump. He then went back into his tent, and an idea formed up in my mind. I ducked behind trees and shrubs as I made my way over to the tent.

The soldier stepped out again, and set something else by the uniform before going back into the tent. The minute he went back inside, I dashed out of the woods and snatched up the uniform. And as fast as I had run out there, I retreated back into the woods.

Quickly, I slipped out of my dress and into the uniform, thankful that it was big enough for me. After a little work, I had finally found a way to tuck all of my hair into the hat. The soldier whose uniform I took, walked out of his tent and stared at where it had been.

He then began to look around frantically, but he'd never find his uniform again. I slipped out of the forest and walked through the camp. "Hey! What are you doing here!" a voice shouted at me. I froze in my tracks, my heart racing faster than it ever had.

_I'm caught. I'm caught. _A man then walked up to me and said, "You need to hurry up and get on that train, soldier." I thought I was about to faint after he said that. My cover hadn't been exposed. "Yes, sir," I said quickly and followed some other soldiers towards the train station that I had walked past a few months ago.

I remembered how I thought that I'd get on that train one day and get out of this town, go somewhere new. And I was doing it now. I borded the train and took a seat by myself in the front of the car. I glanced at the back of the car and saw Shun sitting next to a brunette towards the back. The train whistle blew, and the wheels started to turn.

* * *

**yup. i skipped a month. but i can get away with that kind of stuff. :p i was running out of ideas for filler chapters anyway. o.o sorry for not uploading yesterday. i had to visit my grandmother after school and then went out to eat with a friend of my dad's and we didnt get home till like, 11 at night. -.- thank heavens for the weekend though. i havent even been in school for a full week and im already tired of it. -.-'' read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	18. April 1862: The Battle Of Shiloh

_Alice_

For some reason, I felt as if all eyes were on me as I followed other soldiers towards the camp, but I knew they weren't. I blended in with all of them; nothing about me had any reason to stand out. But I guess it was just paranoia setting in.

I was so far from home. In fact, I wasn't sure exactly where I was at. Up ahead, I saw that weapons were being passed out, and I remembered that there would be a battle going on soon. What was I going to do? There was no way I'd make it out there.

My stomach started to feel sick. _Why did I even get on that train? _I silently asked myself. It was a stupid move, even for me. A rifle was handed to me, and I nodded my head as a means of thanks and scurried off. Perhaps I could find somewhere to hide until the battle ended, but where?

My eyes were scanning around for a place to lay low, and I felt myself bump into somebody. Quickly, I looked up and found myself facing another soldier. The brunette glared at me and said, "Watch where you're going, buddy." I then recognized him as the same brunette that had been arguing with Runo when I first met Shun.

And with that said, I saw Shun appear by his friend's side. He said to him, "You don't need to start any trouble now, Dan." He then turned to look at me and said, "Sorry about him. He's just stressed like the rest of us." I tried to see if I could find anything behind his amber eyes.

Did he have the least bit of sadness that he had to leave me behind? Was that weighing down on his mind? It was difficult to see anything in them. They were so closed off now, unlike the other few times I had seen him. Was it because of what was going on at the moment?

Shun walked off, and I quickly lost sight of him among the other soldiers. Curious, I began to look around the camp for the time being. It was fairly quiet, to be honest. Which wasn't something that I would have expected from a battlefield camp. "Soldier!"

I jumped at the sudden and sharp voice, then quickly turned around to see who was yelling. A man with scars on his face, strolled up to me. He said harshly, "You better get in the line-up. Grant is getting ready to lead his charge, and all soldiers need to be there."

I opened my mouth, readying my words to protest, but the man walked off before I had the chance to say anything. I still had no clue as to what I would do. I wasn't designed to fight in a war. Somebody grabbed onto my wrist and started pulling me towards the edge of camp.

"Come on, rookie. We all have to go through with this," he said with a smile on his face. The soldier placed me in a line with other soldiers, and I held onto the rifle that had been given to me upon arrival. I was scared out of my wits, and regretting leaving my home more and more by the minute.

_Why had I done that? _I kept asking myself. I wasn't thinking things through, and now I wished that I could take it all back. A man on a horse stood in front of the line of soldiers, and off towards the distance, I saw several other soldiers on horseback.

They had to have been the calvary, if I remembered right. Carefully, I glanced down the line and saw Shun standing a few yards down from me. I watched him take in several deep breaths, and realized that he was just as scared as I was.

The sound of metal rubbing against more metal, pulled my attention away from Shun and towards the General on the horse. He had taken out a saber; the only reason I knew what it was, was because Klaus had a couple around his mansion.

I then began to wonder if I would see Klaus out here on the battlefield, and if I did, would he recognize me? Shun hadn't when I ran into him a moment ago, but that didn't mean much. But what would happen if Klaus ran into Shun out there? My ex-fiance told me I better hope that they never cross paths in battle.

My mouth felt dry as the ideas started to run through my mind. I didn't want to think about what Klaus would do. They were just horrible thoughts. A man with a bugle then played several consecutive notes, and I watched as the calvary took off towards the Confederate camp that I could just make out off in the horizon.

My hands were shaking, and it must have been very noticeable because a soldier next to me made a comment about it. "Stop being such a scared girl," he told me flatly. _You don't know the half of it, _I thought to myself. Out in the horizon, I heard gunfire and shouting.

I chanced a quick look down at Shun again, and just as I did, I heard a second bugle, and the soldiers around me charged toward the camp. To avoid being trampled, I had no choice but to run with them.

_Shun_

The same nerves from my first battle were starting to take hold on me. To counteract them, I tried to calm myself with a few deep breaths so I wouldn't lose its. It wasn't doing much to help, but it was something. Next to me, this young soldier kept pestering me.

His curly brown-black hair stuck out from under his hat, and he was only tall enough that the top of his head reached right under my shoulder. I couldn't help but wonder how such a small person had made it into the army. But when I thought about it, the army was taking anybody they could get their hands on.

He mentioned to me, "This has got to be the biggest battle I've been in since this war started. I'm kind of nervous." I soon figured out that talking was his way of calming himself, for he would not shut up. "By the way, I'm Komba." I nodded to let him know I heard him, but didn't say anything.

I didn't feel like talking at the moment. Plus, that was not the time to start making new friends. I had more important things to focus on; like not dying. I glanced down the line of soldiers, and thought I kept seeing that soldier from earlier, the one who ran into Dan, looking at me.

But each time I tried to catch them in the act, they were looking the other way. For some reason, they looked familiar to me. Perhaps I had seen them around the camp before, but never paid them any attention. Komba was still talking when the calvary ran to the Confederate camp we were attacking.

Now that I knew Dan could hold his own against the enemy, I had no worries about him getting killed the instant he reached the camp. Shortly after the calvary charge, we heard the fighting break out. I waited for the second bugle to sound, the one that would tell us to run into the middle of the fighting that was now going on. I bit down on my lower lip, trying to get a grip on my nerves.

They weren't nearly as bad as during Bull Run, but they were close. I heard the second bugle, and ran with the other soldiers towards the camp. Once we reached the location, we saw that most of our calvary had been taken out, and the others that were left, were fighting off Confederate troops that had surrounded them.

My eyes started to scan around, and I found Dan was still alive and fighting. I heard shouting coming from my right, and turned to see what was going on. An injured Calvary soldier had gone up to Grant. He was holding onto his shot arm as he shouted over the noise to the General, "They plotted a surprise attack on us, sir! They knew we were coming!"

I saw Grant tighten his jaw. The plan to attack and get the upper hand, apparently hadn't worked out in our favor. A soldier ran past me, knocking me off my balance and onto the ground. The wind was knocked out of me for a moment, but I quickly recovered from it.

Before I got back up, I looked straight ahead and saw the soldier than ran into Dan, huddled up behind a tree. Suddenly, I was reminded of how I must have looked during my first battle; scared for my life, not sure on what to do, and fearing that one of those gunshots would end me.

Feeling sympathy for this soldier, I got up and ran over to the tree. They jumped at the sight of me, probably thinking I was an enemy troop. I knelt beside them, showing the person that I was not there to mean them any harm.

I hadn't been fortunate enough to have somebody help me out during Bull Run, so I felt like I was obligated now to give somebody that luxury. The soldier looked up at me, large, tear-filled brown eyes showed me their fear. But the eyes looked familiar, almost like Alice's.

I shook my head in order to clear my thoughts. I must have been missing her, and was now seeing things. And now was not the time to start doing that. I grabbed the soldier's wrist and said sternly, "It's not safe to stay there." The tried to pull away from me, obviously not believing the words I was telling him.

I was still fighting with this fellow soldier, when a saber swung past me, just missing my head, and dug into the trunk of the tree.

_Alice_

I didn't care that I knew it was Shun that was trying to take me from the tree; I was in too much of a shock to even think straight. My eyes were shut tightly when I heard the sound of something cutting into the tree that had been doubling as my shield. Shun let go of my wrist, causing me to fall back and land on my butt.

When I opened my eyes to see what had happened, I saw Klaus standing above Shun, pushing all of his weight down on the saber in his hands. The only thing keeping the metal blade from cutting into Shun, was the rifle stock that he was using the hold my ex-fiance off.

"What are you doing here?" Shun asked in a strained voice. I watched his arms shaking from the force being placed on top of them; I had never known Klaus had that kind of strength. "Fighting for what's mine," my old fiance said coldly. I sat there in complete shock and watched the drama unfold before my eyes.

Shun was able to kick Klaus' legs out from under him, freeing him of the weight of the saber. "For what's your's?" Shun asked breathlessly. "What in the hell are you talking about?" I remembered that Shun didn't know about what happened between Klaus and I, so he didn't know what the mad Southerner was talking about.

But I did. Klaus was trying to get back at Shun for being with me the night of the couple's ball, and for freeing him as well. When Shun knocked Klaus from his feet, the saber had gone flying off somewhere else. Now, my ex-fiance had no other weapon as far as I knew.

But somehow, he got a hold of Shun's rifle and now had the raven-haired soldier pinned against the tree trunk by the neck with it. Shun tried to pull the rifle away from his windpipe, but had no luck. Klaus had only one thing on his mind; to cause pain and maybe even kill.

Unable to watch it any longer, I jumped up on my feet and grabbed onto Klaus' shoulder. He let the rifle go, making Shun drop to the ground and gasp for air. As a reaction to having me put my hands of his shoulder, Klaus turned around and my face met the back of his hand.

I fell back onto the ground, holding onto my throbbing cheek. But that little distraction, had given Shun a chance to get the upper hand. All I remembered was that he had gotten the rifle back, but the rest was a blur as my mind blacked out so it wouldn't have to experience this horror any longer.

_Shun_

The sun was starting to set, and both sides finally began to retreat for the night; the fighting would continue tomorrow most likely. I leaned against a tree, trying to catch my breath. I had pursued Klaus for some time, but he got away from me once he ran through the worst of the fighting.

I tilted my head back, still unable to return my breathing to a state of normality. I watched as the raging battlefield, turned into an area of beaten and exhausted soldiers. A couple of them stopped and helped carry their injured comrades back to the camp for treatment, and I then remembered the soldier that had helped me out earlier that day.

I ran back towards the tree where I had last seen him. All I remembered was that he took a hard back-hand from Klaus. Enough so, that it knocked him out. But I had been too focused on getting back at Klaus, that I didn't stay behind to see if he was alright.

I found the tree, and saw that the soldier was still laying there. I knelt down beside the unconscious body, and tried to shake him awake. I still couldn't believe how familiar this soldier looked to me. So many of the facial features reminded me of Alice, so I shook myself back to my senses and kept telling myself that I had yet to grasp the fact that she was no miles and miles away.

My eyes drifted to the large bruise on the soldier's face. It was swollen up, but not too much. I shook the soldier once more, and noticed his hat slip off some. Bright, long orange hair then greeted me, and it was hair that could have only belonged to one person; Alice.

I stared down at the 'soldier' wondering if my mind was playing tricks on me. I blinked a couple of times, just to see if my sanity would return to me. There was no way that she could have followed me here. There was just no way. "Do you need some help getting this soldier to the infirmary?" somebody asked me from behind.

Quickly, I pulled the hat back over Alice's hair so they wouldn't see it. I then said to the person, "No, I've got it." They then walked off and asked somebody else if they needed his services. I was worried what these people would do if they ever found out Alice had impersonated a soldier.

But I was more worried about what they'd do if they found out that a woman was in the camp. Not all of these soldiers were morally correct in their minds. I draped Alice's arm over my shoulders and helped her to her feet. She hung there limply, and only made little groaning sounds.

I carried her to the infirmary, making sure that her hat didn't fall off and reveal her long hair to everyone around us. The doctor at the infirmary tent, looked like he was about to pull his hair out as he ran around to treat the wounded.

He saw me walking with, what he thought was another soldier, and pointed over to another tent. "I'll be with you shortly," he told me and ran off somewhere else. I walked into the tent he pointed to, and saw that it was filled with patients that weren't severely injured; just like the tent I had been in when I obtained my first set of injuries.

I laid her down on a cot; she was still as unconscious as when I found her. I found a chair, and sat down beside her. Suddenly, I was reminded of how it must have looked in the infirmary tent with Dan waiting for me to wake up.

The field doctor then showed up and examined Alice quickly. I was paranoid that he would discover that she wasn't a soldier, but he never did any other examinations other than a quick glance over; he most likely didn't have time to waste on something like that, and I was thankful.

He told me, "Just another case of shock. It should wear off in a while. In the meantime, I'll bring back some ice for the facial injury." He then ran out from the tent, and I waited almost an hour for him to return with the ice. When he did, he was about to remove her hat.

I quickly stopped his hand from going any further and told him, "You have other people to attent to. I'll keep the ice on em." The doctor nodded and ran off once more. Carefully, I placed the ice on her face; her cheek twitched somewhat when the cold touched her skin.

A sick feeling of guilt washed over me at that instant. But why? I didn't know that it was Alice at the time. I guessed that a part of me should have known it was her. I rested my chin in the palm of my hands, and rested my elbows on my knees, then released a heavy sigh.

* * *

**sorry for not uploading over the weekend. i was helping a friend paint her senior parking space at my school, and it turned out awesome. she made an ipod, but since neither one of us wanted to paint the Safari app, we turned it into an iPhone. o.o lol. i might have to post a picture of it on here. i think it can be seen on my facebook profile, which is on my profile. it should be in my pictures, so check it out if you want. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	19. April 1862: A Place Far From Home

_Runo_

"You still haven't seen Alice?" I asked her grandfather. He shook his head sadly. It had been weeks, and none of us had seen a single sign of the orange-haired girl. I knew that things had gotten tough, but were they tough enough to have her run away? Alice didn't come off as the type that ran when things got difficult. Maybe something had happened to her. _No, I shouldn't think like that._

"Well, thanks for letting us know," I said to him and walked down the steps of Alice's house. Julie was waiting for me at the end of the driveway. When I walked up to her, she immediately asked me, "Any news about her?" I shook my head, just as the old man had done to me.

Julie huffed. We had searched all over the town, asking anyone and everyone, if they had seen our friend. None of them had any word. The last that anybody had seen Alice, it had been weeks ago, and Julie and I were the ones last to talk to her.

I had noticed that she seemed out of it; lost in thought and in a daze. Both of which, weren't exactly characteristics of Alice. I sighed in aggravation, trying to figure out what could have happened to her. I closed my eyes and let the possibilities run through my head.

There were so many, and hardly any of them were positive. Julie and I walked back to town, holding our heads down cause of our failure to uncover anything about Alice's disappearance. Julio was standing outside of the general store, sweeping the doorway clear of dirt and other debris.

He saw Julie and I walking down the street and waved his hand in the air as to flag us down. We walked up to him, and when we did, he immediately asked us, "Find anything else out about Alice?" Julie and I shook our heads, and Julio sighed.

I was almost sick with worry for the wellbeing of my best friend. Julio propped himself up against the broom handle and said, "It's so weird that she hasn't been heard of since that Union camp packed up and left." I felt my eyes widen. "Union camp?"

I asked to make sure I had heard him right. Julio nodded and told me, "Yeah. From what I've been able to gather, Alice vanished the same day that the Union troops at that camp nearby left." It was strange that she disappeared around that time.

Could it have been possible that those troops kidnapped her and took her with them? I had already met three of the soldiers at one point, and it didn't look like something like that was above them. I could only imagine the horrible things that they might have been doing to her.

I then shook my head. _What a ridiculous idea. Alice wouldn't have been anywhere near that camp. I don't even think she knew it was there._ And in my opinion, I doubted that any of those soldiers had the gall to go into town and take her like that. I sighed. _I just hope she's okay, _I thought quietly to myself.

_Alice_

I forced my eyes open, and groaned at the throbbing pain in the side of my face. I then remembered what had caused that pain. Klaus had found Shun during the battle, and when I tried to pull him away before Shun was killed, he hit me; but he had no knowledge that it was me under that uniform.

What if he had known though? Would he have still hit me like he did? My eyes the began to wander around. I was in a tent, laying on a cot next to several other soldiers that were injured. Their injuries didn't look that serious, but they did look painful.

I sat up on the cot, holding onto the hat that still rested on top of my head. Thankfully, my hair was still pretty much tucked in and hidden. I noticed a chair that was placed beside the cot, as if somebody had been sitting there and watching me at one point.

It finally hit me that it had most likely been Shun sitting there and keeping an eye on me. But where was he now? Curious to know, I climbed out of the cot and stepped out of the tent. It was early dusk, and bits of the night still clung onto the sky as the sun rose.

The camp was still, but I couldn't say the same for back at the battlefield. I heard the continuation of yesterday's fighting, and wondered if they had ever stopped. I took a step back as I relived the nightmares of war. "Soldier! What are you doing out of your bed?"

I froze at the sudden voice and turned around to see, who I gathered, was the field doctor. He approached me, examining my face once he was close enough to see me. I was scared to say anything. If I did, then he would surely be able to find out that I wasn't part of this army.

Once he finished the evaluation of my swollen cheek, he gave me a rough pat on my soldier and said, "Get back in your cot, soldier." I nodded and scampered back to the cot that I had woken up in. The other soldiers who shared the tent with me, were still sound asleep as I tip-toed back to my cot.

I laid back down, listening to the 'bed' groan under my weight as I returned to its embrace. I closed my eyes and heard all of the gunfire that was taking place not far from here. Shun was out there. Was he still alive, or had he run into Klaus again and suffered at his hands?

I didn't want to think about it; it was bad enough I had to listen to it. "I take it you don't handle war very well, do ya, pal?" I looked over to my right and saw that another soldier had woken up in his cot. Not wanting to blow my cover by speaking, I just shook my head to answer the guy's question.

He looked short, with a dark skin complexion and coarse black hair. The guy laughed and said, "Me neither." I then began to wonder what injury he had obtained while in the battle. My eyes then fell on his left arm, which was heavily bandaged.

He saw me staring at the injury and told me, "Stray bullet caught my arm. I might as well consider myself lucky." I nodded, thinking the same thing. Any closer to him, and the bullet would have probably gone through his chest, and he wouldn't have been talking to me right then.

He squinted his eyes slightly then said, "Looks like you took a pretty good lick to the face." I brought my hand up and touched the swollen part of my cheek. It throbbed under my touch, but at least it didn't hurt as bad as it had when Klaus first hit me.

The guy then sat up in his cot, extended his hand out to me and said, "I'm Komba." I stared at his outstretched hand, then took it in mine and gave it a shake. When he took his hand back, he stared at me for a moment and said, "You don't talk a lot, do you?"

I shook my head. I wanted to be able to have a conversation with this guy; it most certainly would have made time pass by quicker than it was. Komba shrugged his shoulders and said in a nonchalant tone, "I don't blame ya. There isn't much to talk about around here anyway. Just stuff about North this and South that. It gets old."

I knew what he meant. The war had been all that the people of my town talked about. In fact, I was sure that they were talking about it now. Komba went on and babbled about different things, and I sat there and listened.

_Shun_

I used my rifle to prop myself up so I wouldn't collapse onto the ground. Tired wasn't even covering what I was feeling. Even though it was winter, I was pouring sweat from all of the fighting that had been going on. But it was all coming to an end.

The Confederates were on the run, and we this battle was as good as ours. As General Grant ran off the last of the enemy soldiers, I picked my tired feet up and began to walk around. Laying on the ground, were the bodies of the injured and dead.

Other soldiers started to pick them up, just as they had done yesterday after the first portion of the battle had ended. I found it surprising that even with the ambush, we had still won. But, as with any loss or victory, there were still casualties.

Although, that came with any war. I saw Dan riding the Calvary horse around the torn battlefield. He then came towards me and said, "Glad to see you made it through this one, buddy." I wiped sweat from my forehead and said breathlessly, "Barely."

Dan laughed at the joke that I didn't make. He was covered in dirt, cuts, and dried blood; I was sure I looked about the same as him. As Dan and I stood there and let everything soak in, soldiers kept on taking their fallen allies up to the infirmary tents.

When I thought about that, I remembered Alice was still up there. I turned and started to run towards the tent. Behind me, I heard Dan shout at me, "Where are you going?" I didn't answer his question, and kept on running. Worry that somebody had uncovered who Alice really was, starting to nip at me once again.

Because my focus had been on the battle, this hadn't returned to me until now. Dan then appeared at my side, slowing the horse down to a trot instead of the gallop that it had been in a second ago. He asked me, "Where's the fire, Shun?"

I shook my head and told him, "I have to check in on somebody back at the infirmary." Dan made the horse keep pace with me. He told me, "Alright, but when you're done checking in on this person, why don't you come back out to the battlefield and help bring in some injured soldiers?"

I nodded, mentally reminding myself to do that after I made sure Alice was okay. Dan turned the horse around and ran off back towards the battlefield. I approached the tents, and dug around in my memory for which one Alice had been in.

When I found it, I stepped inside and saw she was awake, and listening to the ramblings of Komba. He saw me and said with a smile, "Hey! It's that guy!" A soldier glared at him and told him to keep his voice down. Komba only rolled his eyes. Alice saw me and smiled.

Her face was still slightly swollen from where Klaus had struck her, and a black and blue coloration was taking over. I took the chair that I had sat in yesterday and asked Alice, "How are you doing?" She shrugged her soldiers as a means to tell me without speaking.

I understood why she couldn't say anything; it would be clear as day that she didn't belong in the army. Komba was still behind me, rambling on and on about something else, but I paid him no mind. I stood up and said, "Well, I have to help bring in the injured soldiers. I'll be back later." Alice nodded, and Komba said something in return since he thought I was talking to him. I walked out from the tent and back towards the battlefield to help Dan.

_Alice_

Night finally rolled around, and the soldiers in my infirmary tent had fallen asleep; including Komba. I was about to fall asleep myself, when Shun walked back in the tent. I sat up and smiled. He quickly told me, "Come with me outside."

I stared at him for a moment, then got up and followed him outside of the tent. We walked a bit away from the camp, just enough to be out of sight and earshot from anybody that may have been walking around, which I doubted there would have been; most of the soldiers had celebrated their victory and were passed out now.

I smiled and opened my mouth to say the first words that I had since I showed up here, but Shun beat me to them. "Here's some civilian clothes. Go and find a town that's close by, because it's too dangerous for you to stay here," he told me flatly and handed me a folded set of linen pants and a linen shirt.

I took the clothes and stared down at them. "But what about you?" I asked. Shun stared at me as if I were crazy. "I'm supposed to be here. Not you," he told me. "It's way too dangerous for you to be here, and I'd blame myself if anything else happened to you," he added.

I held the clothes close to my chest and stared down at the ground. I knew I had to leave the camp, but at the same time, I didn't want to. Maybe it was because I knew Shun would still be here; I wasn't sure though. But I knew that I didn't belong at this camp; I never belonged in it from the start.

Shun pointed away from the camp and said, "There's supposed to be a town over that hill. Go there, find a place to stay for a while, then go back home." I swallowed the lump in my throat and said, "Alright."

This reminded me of the goodbye that provoked me to get on that train in the first place, but I knew better than this time. My actions almost got me killed because of that. And under cover of night, I headed towards the town, leaving the Union army camp behind.

* * *

**sorry for vanishing for a couple of days. tuesday, i had a band thing and wednesday i went out of town for the evening and didnt get back till late. starting in a couple of weeks, there will be no uploads on fridays. (football season is back and i have to march during the games.) so, uploads may become less frequent with that being said. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	20. May 1862: You Gotta Fight

_Shun_

I had been on edge since I made Alice leave the camp; I kept thinking that I would see her pop up again. But she didn't. As far as I knew, she was still in that nearby town, or had gotten on a train and headed back to her home. Hopefully, she had gone back home.

As much as it pained me, it was where she needed to be. Out here, was not where she belonged. In fact, it wasn't where any of us belonged. I looked out over the camp from the tree limb I was sitting in, and sighed. As much as I hated to admit, I was missing my own home, and I couldn't help but wonder if Dan and Joe were homesick like I was.

Maybe Joe was, seeing that he had left behind his fiancee, but Dan was another story. I stared out towards the hill that hid the town, and was torn from my thoughts when I heard Dan's loud voice from below. "Shun! What are you doing up there?"

I looked down, and saw him looking up at me. "Relaxing. What does it look like?" I ask, trying to hide the annoyed tone in my voice. He scratched the back of his neck and told me, "Uh, not sure. But Joe and I are going to join a few other soldiers later for a couple of drinks they brought with them into the camp. Wanna come with us?" I thought about his offer and sighed.

"Sure. Not like I have anything better to do." I slid off of the branch and landed perfectly on my feet. As I walked with Dan towards the other side of the camp, I asked him, "So where exactly did they get their hands on the drinks?"

Dan shrugged his shoulders and told me, "I think they snuck it in with their luggage. I don't know, but what I do know is that I need some of it." I agreed with him; I wasn't normally a drinker, but with all of the stress that had been building up, I needed something to calm my jittering nerves.

At a tent, several soldiers were gathered around a campfire, laughing and passing around a bottle of what looked like whiskey. Joe saw Dan and I, and waved at us. We sat down beside our friend, and had a glass of the drink poured for us, and handed over.

Dan took his and killed it, while I took moderate drinks. After several hours, it started to grow dark around us, and drinks were still being passed around. Joe and I had stopped a long time ago, but Dan was still going, and I knew he'd regret it in the morning.

He draped his arm over Joe's shoulders and said to another soldier in a slurred tone, "I'll tell ya, the women down here are crazy." I shook my head, knowing who he was talking about. Although, I found it strange that the bluenette girl from almost a year ago, was still on his mind.

Then again, it could have been the whiskey talking. There was a chorus of other agreements from the soldiers around us. Tired of watching the ramblings of drunken people, I stood up and said, "I think I'm going to turn in early."

Joe then got up to his feet and said, "Yeah, I think I am too. Dan? Are you staying?" My friend lifted his drink and told us, "Maybe for a little while longer." I rolled my eyes, knowing that I had no reason to worry about him getting into any trouble out here.

It wasn't like back home, when if he ever got drunk, he would get into trouble or a fight. Out here, the only thing he had to worry about was walking into a tree. Joe reached his tent and disappeared inside, and I kept walking until I got to mine.

When I did, I was about to go in when I noticed several soldiers gathered around in a tight circle. They were laughing, and most likely drunk like half of the camp that night. Shaking my head, I assumed they were picking on another soldier, so I paid them no mind and went into my tent. Taking off the hot, wool uniform jacket, I threw it on the ground and laid down. My body let out a sigh of relief, and sleep quickly took over.

_Alice_

I wiped sweat from my forehead and took off the apron that was tied around my waist. After Shun made me leave the Union camp, I had gone into the town like he had asked me to. There, I had found an inn and stayed there, but had no way to pay for my room.

The only way I was able to, was to work down in the kitchen so I could earn my right to stay under this roof. This work would also double as my means to get some money to buy a train ticket and go back home, but that would take a little time. When I got home, what would be waiting for me?

I know there would be my worried friends and grandfather, but what about my parents? Would they still be mad at me for what happened? I sighed and hung the apron up and on a hook, then walked upstairs to the room I was staying in.

It wasn't much; a bed, chairs, bathroom, and sink. Just the basic needs. I stared down at myself; I was still in the civilian clothes that Shun had given to me, but only because I had none of my other clothing. They had gotten me a lot of strange looks in the town, but they had no idea that they belonged to the Union.

I was only being stared at because I was in a white button up shirt and brown pants; not the normal attire for a woman. But it seemed like the townspeople were getting to where they didn't care, and I was thankful for that. I walked over to the window and looked through the dirty glass.

I was able to see slightly over the hill, and saw the flickering of campfires. A sad smile crossed my face, and I turned around and walked over to my bed, where I sat down. I wanted to see Shun again, and ask how things were going. I knew it hadn't been but about a month since I snuck out of the camp, but it felt so much longer than that.

I shook my head and grabbed a handful of the blankets underneath me, and tightened my grip on them. Why did I care so much? All my caring had done, was get me into all kinds of trouble; with my family, Klaus, and so forth. It had even thrown me into a battle.

But the thing was, that I didn't really care about all of that. As crazy as it would have sounded to anyone I knew, I was happy around him, despite all the trouble it caused me. I suddenly stood up from the bed and turned my head to look out the window once more.

Making up my mind, I left my room and snuck out of the inn. The town had died down as the inhabitants turned in for the night, and I left without a problem, which I shouldn't have had a problem anyway. It wasn't like back home, that if somebody saw me leave, they would have informed the whole town.

I walked over the hill and was now staring down at the camp. Taking in a deep breath, I readied myself and walked down the hill and into the camp. Trying to keep myself hidden, I looked around for Shun. My eyes then found him walking with the shaggy, dirty blonde guy that had been with him the day we first met.

I started to make my way over to them, but felt something grab onto my wrist and pin me against a tree. When I opened my eyes, I saw that it was a soldier that had grabbed me. "What do we have here?" he asked, his voice hissing like that of a snake.

He also reeked of alcohol. I struggled to break free from his grip, but he had almost all of his weight bearing down on my shoulders so I couldn't go anywhere. He then let out a high-pitched whistle, and several other soldiers walked over to him.

Smirks appeared on their lips when they saw me, which only made me struggle even more. They gathered around me, making me feel like the walls were closing around me. A soldier with thin, oily looking black hair, pulled out a small knife and placed it lightly on my collarbone.

He asked in a slurred voice, "Now, where did you get these clothes, little one?" My hands were trembling with fear as he ever-so lightly ran the blade along my neck. Their voices told me every single one of them were drunk, but their eyes showed me something a little more animalistic.

Something that wasn't in Shun's eyes at all. I then thought about how he told me that it wasn't safe for me at the camp. This was why, I was sure of it. These soldiers wouldn't hurt me because I was from the South, but because they had a hunger.

Fight or flight kicked in, and I stomped my foot down on the top of the foot of the soldier that had me pinned against the tree. He let out a shriek of pain as the heel of my shoe dug into his bare foot, and he let me go. Taking the chance, I ran between him and another soldier, and broke from their circle they had trapped me in.

But one of them easily caught up to me, and grabbed my arm then made me fall onto the ground. A cloud of dirt came up when my body hit. The black-haired soldier hovered over me before grabbing my wrist. "You might have broken Jones' foot. You happy about that?" he hissed with a twisted smile.

His grip tightened on my wrist and he asked harshly, "Huh? Are you?" Again, his grip got tighter, causing tears to form in my eyes. He gave me and quick shake and shouted, "Are you?" I shook my head and shouted, "No!" A crowd had formed around us, watching what was unfolding with unwavering eyes.

How many more of these soldiers would join in and gang up on me? More tears formed as I thought about it. _Why did I even come back here? _I asked myself. The oily-haired soldier that had been gripping my wrist, took back out the knife and tore some of the fabric on my shirt.

He was about to cut it some more, when I heard something hit him, and watched as he fell over unconscious. I set of hands picked me up, and somebody stepped in front of me to block the hungry-eyed, drunk soldiers from me. I opened my teary eyes and saw Shun was the one who had helped me.

His eyes were narrowed at them when he snapped, "Back off. Don't any of you have any shame?" They looked at each other and laughed. Jones, limping on his foot, stepped forward and said, "Who the hell do you think you are? Oh, I know. You just want this girl all to yourself."

His lips twisted into a crooked smile, which sent shivers down my spine. Jones got a little closer and took a swing at Shun, who just missed the punch. It only escalated, and a brawl broke out among the soldiers. Shun held on tightly to my wrist, and began looking around frantically.

His eyes then stopped and he shouted, "Dan!" A brunette then looked around and found Shun among the fighting soldiers. He then ran over to us, and Shun pushed me towards the brunette. "Dan, get her out of here. I'll catch up later," Shun said quickly.

Dan nodded and took my wrist, then pulled me out of the camp and towards the woods. Tears were flooding out of my eyes. What had I just caused? Dan stopped running and let go of my wrist, where I dropped down and sat on the ground, trying to calm myself down and register all of the things that had just happened.

Dan leaned against a tree, and he stared at me for a long moment. I asked him in a shaky voice, "You're not going to try anything, are you?" He raised an eyebrow then shook his head. "Nah. I'm just trying to remember where I've seen you at before," he told me, his words somewhat slurred.

_Great. Somebody else that's drunk, _I thought to myself. Dan's eyes then widened and he said, "You're that girl that Shun ran into back at that town!" I nodded my head slowly. "What in the world are you doing way the hell out here? Don't you live back in that town?" he asked me.

Again, I nodded. Dan knelt down in front of me and asked, "Have you been following us? No, you've been trailing Shun, haven't you." I bit my lower lip and nodded my head sheepishly. The brunette snapped his fingers and said, "I knew Shun's been hiding something from me."

The guy went on and was babling about how he was right, and all I did was bring my knees up to my chest and stared off into nothing.

_Shun_

I kicked Jones' legs out from underneath him, causing him to fall onto the ground. He scrambled up to his feet, and tackled me, knocking me back and onto the ground. My body skidded along the hard, dirt ground, causing cuts and scraps to form and sting as sand and dirt got into the wounds.

I was still laying on the ground, but propping myself up with my hands. Jones was trying to get up to his feet so he could continue our fight. All around us though, was a massive brawl. Since most of those fighting were drunk, they had no clue why they were fighting with each other.

All they knew, was that somebody punched somebody else, and it went from there. Jones had gotten up to his feet, and I quickly got up onto my own so he wouldn't have the upper hand. He charged at me, most likely for another tackle, and I readied myself to move out of the way, but felt somebody hit me in my back.

I was temporaily stunned, and saw it had been the guy who pulled the knife of Alice. Unable to keep my eyes on both of my attackers, Jones ran up to me and tried to land a hit on me. I blocked his hand from hitting me in the face, but he brought up his foot and slammed it down on the side of my knee, sending a jolt of pain throughout my leg.

I dropped down onto the ground, cringing at the throbbing that now invaded my leg. Jones lifted up his foot again, readying himself to slam into down into my stomach, but a gunshot made him, and everyone else around us, freeze. We all turned and saw General Grant standing there, staring at all of us with narrowed eyes.

"What is going on here?" he shouted, but obviously knowing exactly what was happening. Jones backed away from me, but never took his eyes from Grant. He then said, "He's the one who started the fight, sir." Jones pointed a finger at me. I laughed humorlessly.

"Me? I wasn't the one trying to-" Grant cut us off by shouting, "I care not who started this fight! Now, I suggest all of you go to your tents. If there is to be any fighting, it shall be done on the battlefield and against the enemy. Not in my camp. Understand?"

We nodded and soldiers began to go to their tents, just as Grant had ordered. But I didn't. Instead, I got up from the ground and went to find Alice and Dan.

_Alice_

When I heard the gunshot from the camp, followed by the dead silence, I found myself holding my breath. Even Dan was staring towards the camp, wondering the same thing that I was; who had fired, and had anybody been shot?

The brunette must have noticed the worried look on my face, because he told me, "I'm sure it was nothing." I applauded him for trying to reassure me. I then somebody walking towards the woods. Dan said, "Maybe that's Shun."

And it was. Once he was a little bit closer, I could see him through the darkness of night. His hair and clothes were messed up, and covered in dirt. A fine line of blood was coming from his lip where it had been busted open. I also noticed he had a slight limp when he walked. "I'm so sorry," I quickly said to him.

Dan ran up to his friend and said, "Dude, what the hell was going on when that fight broke out?" Shun ignored his friend's question, and he turned to look at me. "Now you see why I told you to stay out of the camp," he said flatly. I didn't meet his gaze, and stared down at the ground in front of my feet.

I then saw his feet standing in front of mine, and felt his hand under my chin. He brought my face up to meet his gaze. It wasn't cold and angry like I thought it would have been. Instead, it was filled with worry turned into relief.

A sad smile formed on his lips and he said, "Promise me you won't do something like that again." I nodded, my mind feeling too foggy to truly know if all of this was really happening. Shun was still holding my chin in his hands when he placed a quick kiss on my lips.

When he pulled away, he told me softly, "Now, I suggest you leave. And I doubt you'll come back here after all that's happened to you tonight." He was right about that. That night had been enough of a deterant for me. I stepped back and started to walk back towards the town I was staying in. All while I was walking back, I could feel Shun's eyes on me.

* * *

**yay! it is saturday! -dances- it's been one long week, and i thought it would never end. o.o but it did and here we are. X) well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	21. June 1862: The Letter Home

_Shun_

It had taken some time to explain to Dan how I knew Alice, and what she was doing so far away from her home. When I told him that she had snuck into the camp by disguising herself as a soldier, he had nearly lost it. "Are you kidding me?" he asked rather loudly. I looked around to make sure that Dan's loud outburst hadn't gathered any unwanted attention, which it hadn't.

"No, I'm not kidding you, Dan," I told him, trying to convince him that I was telling the truth. It had surprised me at first, so I didn't blame Dan for the reaction he was giving me. "So, she was in Shiloh?" he asked me. I nodded, examining his surprised expression. "

She has some kind of guts," he muttered under his breath. I couldn't have agreed with him more. "But what are you going to do about her?" Dan asked me. I wasn't sure what he meant by that, so I stared at him with an expression confusion. "Do about her?" I asked, hopefully receiving more details about Dan's question.

He nodded and told me honestly, "Well, it's plan to see that she's probably going to follow you almost any where you go. I mean, she disguised herself as a soldier and hopped on the train with us. What's going to stop her from doing that again when we leave for another battle?"

I hadn't given that much thought. Perhaps the last time she was in the camp had been enough to keep her from following us anymore, but I doubted it. "I don't know, Dan," I told him honestly. My friend shrugged his shoulders and said to me, "I always knew you would end up attracting the crazy ones."

I shot him a glare and said defensively, "She's not crazy." He held up his hands in defense and said, "Calm down, buddy. I was just kidding around. No need to go and cut my head off of my shoulders." I mentally kicked myself for getting worked up like that.

"Sorry. There's just way too much going on right now," I told him. Dan nodded his head, fully understanding what I was telling him. Joe then walked up to us, rubbing the last bit of sleep from his eyes. "Morning," he said to us with a yawn.

He then took a seat next to Dan and didn't say anything as he tried to shake off the last bit of sleep that was lingering around him. The three of us sat there, enjoying the last bit of cool air that the early morning provided before the afternoon took it away from us and made it too hot to handle.

Joe and Dan had started a conversation, and while they talked, I decided to write some in the journal that I had been issued. With all of the madness going on, I hadn't written in it for a while, and I needed some way to vent. My moment of peace was broken when Komba appeared out of nowhere, and was staring at the journal from over my shoulder.

"Whatcha writing?" he asked in tha raspy voice that I found more annoying than Dan's. I closed the journal and stood up, then turned to look at Joe and Dan and told them, "I'm going for a walk around the camp. Why don't you two keep Komba occupied?"

I could see by the look in their eyes, that they wanted to shoot more even suggesting such a thing. Dan glared at me then put on a fake smile and said, "Sure." Komba took the seat that I had been sitting in, and started to talk to Dan and Joe.

I quickly took that chance and walked off, knowing well enough that I would get an earfull later. But I didn't care. I was not in the mood to deal with Komba's ramblings and such. I had my eyes closed as I navigated the camp, not having any worry about bumping into somebody.

But I had been wrong. My shoulder bumped into somebody, and I opened my eyes to see who it had been. Already, I was getting ready to apologize for not watching where I was going, until I saw who it had been that I ran into. Jones was cutting me a cold glare, and if looks could kill, I would have been killed ten times over.

I returned the glare, holding it against him what he and his gang had tried to do to Alice. That, and the guy had nearly snapped my leg in half. "Why don't you want where you're going?" he asked coldly. I narrowed my eyes at him and said, "I could be saying the same thing about you."

Soldiers that had been passing by, now stopped to see if anything would escalate between the two of us. They knew all too well about to brawl that broke out a few weeks ago, and I was sure they wanted to see the rest of it. But none of the surrounding soldiers urged the fight on.

They just stood there, completely silent. Jones formed a crooked smile on his face when he asked, "Seen that little girl of your's anymore? She was a real pretty one. Maybe you should share her sometime." I felt anger starting to boil up in me. He could have cared less about Alice, he just knew that saying things like this would get me riled up.

And he was right. He smiled in triumph when he saw that I was getting worked up. General Grant then walked out from behind a tent, examining over the gathering crowd, and Jones and I in the center of it. "Gentlemen? Is there a problem here?" he asked in a neutral tone.

I said under my breath, "Not right now, sir." Grant apparently heard me, because he said, "Good. Now, move along. All of you."

The crowd of soldiers began to dispurse, and with a finally glare between Jones and I, we walked off in opposite directions. But something told me that this wouldn't be the last confrontation that the two of us would have while both of us were in this camp.

_Alice_

I sat up in my room at the inn, holding a blank sheet of paper in my hands. The restaurant part of the inn was closed today, meaning that I had no work, which I was very grateful for. My eyes focused more on the sheet of paper. I had asked the innkeeper if he had any laying around, and this was all he gave to me.

I was meaning to write a letter back home, and was trying to figure out what to say. This blank page held endless words that I could use, but only so much space. I needed to contact my friends and family, and let them know that I was alright.

Or, at least that I thought that I was alright. My eyes went down to the slashes in my shirt that the innkeeper's wife had sewn up for me. The images of having that soldier trying to cut me and no telling what else, still flashed fresh in my mind.

If Shun hadn't stepped in and saved me, then there was no telling what all would have happened to me. I cringed just by thinking about it. I took in a deep breath and grabbed the pen and inkwell, then began to write my letter home.

Should I ask them to send money so I could buy a train ticket and go home? Did I want to go home yet? It still worried me that my parents would still be angry at me, and I would still have to stay at Murucho's until things died down.

But how long would that take? For all I knew, they could have been sick with worry about me. There was just so much that I didn't know. I wrote out my letter, creating my intricate loops in my letters that made my handwriting mine.

Once I was comfortable with what I had written, I went back over it before folding it up and sliding it into an envelop. I addressed it back home to my grandfather, knowing that he would recognize my handwriting and immediately open the letter.

I went downstairs and found the innkeeper reading a newspaper, and was oddly reminded of my grandfather sitting at the kitchen table with his coffee as he read the headlines.

Hesitating, I handed him the sealed letter and asked, "Would you mind dropping this off at the post office, sir?" He took the letter and gave me a nod, that I had come to learn meant yes. I smiled and thanked him before running back upstairs to my rented room.

_Runo_

As the months and weeks went by, and still to no avail, most of the town had given up on finding our dear Alice. But Julie and I were still determined. We went through the town every morning and afternoon, asking if anyone had seen or heard of anything about her.

It was always the same thing; no. As we walked through the town once more, Julie stopped walking. When I realized this, I turned around to look at her. I asked, "Julie? What's wrong?" Tears started to roll down the silver-haired girl's face.

"What if we never find Alice?" I walked up to her, placed my hands on her shoulders, and gave her one quick shake. "Don't think like that, Julie! We'll find her….I'm sure we will." Julie brought her hand up and wiped a tear from her cheek. "If you say so, Runo."

I couldn't believe that my friend had given up on finding Alice, just like the rest of the town had. "Julie…" I said gently. "I know that it's bad enough you worry about Billy almost everyday, and now with Alice on top of that, it's getting hard to stay postive, but we have to."

The silver-haired girl wiped the last of her tears away, then put on her genuine smile. "You're right, Runo. We have to stay positive for Alice," she said in her high-pitched voice. I laughed, surprised that I had actually succeeded in cheering Julie up.

Usually, it was only Alice that could do that. The two of us then turned when we heard the sound of horse hooves galloping on the hard dirt. We then saw Alice's grandfather ride up to us, halting the horse just before it ran over us, and a cloud of dust came up from the animal's hooves.

"Dr. Michaels?" I asked, wondering why he looked to be in such a rush. He then slid off the horse's saddle and onto the ground, where he pulled out an envelop from his coat pocket. He told us breathlessly, "I received a letter from Alice!" Shock and surprise slapped Julie and I in our faces, and I quickly snapped out of my trance and snatched the letter from the old man.

My eyes scanned down the page, and sure enough it was all Alice's handwriting. Julie must have finally returned to reality, because once I had read the last word, she took the letter and began to read it herself. I stared down at where the paper had been in my hands a moment ago, then looked up at the old man and said with a smile, "She's alright."

I then turned to Julie and wrapped her in a hug, still saying, "Alice is alright! I told you she was!" Michaels gingerly took the letter from Julie's hand and folded it then put it back in his coat. One part of the letter then brought me from my happy thoughts, and I turned to her grandfather.

I asked, "What's she doing in Tennessee though?" The town she was staying in was briefly mentioned in the letter, but it still boggled my mind as I tried to think about what provoked her to go to Tennessee, which had recently been a battlefield hot-spot. Her grandfather shook his head and told me, "I don't know why she is there, but I say we board a train and go there, then bring her back with us."

Julie then asked the old man, "Why not send her some money and let her buy the ticket herself?" He turned away from the silver-haired girl and told her, "Because I want to make sure that she returns her safetly. Now, let's go. We're wasting time." Julie and I rushed back to our homes and began to pack, then met with Dr. Michaels at the train station that afternoon.

* * *

**note: this chapter takes place towards the end of June, meaning that the next one will be July (duh) and plenty of time for our concerned friends to reach Alice. It also took a while for the letter to reach them, just saying. so, that's all i got for this little note. ****lots of drama is awaiting us in the next chapter. so excited**. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	22. July 1862: Gather Round

_Shun_

As of late, I had made it a personal goal of mine not to run into Jones anymore. There was too much of a chance that another fight would break out, and I had a feeling that I was already walking on thin ice with General Grant; he was the last person in this camp I wanted to piss off.

But something told me that I wouldn't be able to avoid Jones forever. My eyes had been closed as I sat at the base of a tree and enjoyed the current silence; it seemed to be much more rare at this camp than the previous one that I had been at. But just as anything else, my peace was shattered by Dan's sudden appearance.

"Hey, Shun. What's up?" he asked, completely oblivious to the fact that he had disturbed my relaxation. "Nothing," I said, trying to hide the annoyed tone in my voice. Joe was with Dan, and he seemed to noticed that I was being bothered.

He said to Dan in a cautious tone, "Maybe Shun wants to be left alone." Dan waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "Nonsense. Shun enjoys my company. Don't ya?" I let out a huff of air and told him, "At times I wonder." He apparently didn't take my snide remark as it should have been, and thought that I was using it in a positive context.

"See? He would be lost without me as a friend," Dan boasted. Joe looked at me, his eyes apologizing and telling me that he tried to get Dan to leave me alone. I applauded his attempt, but nothing could get rid of my idiotic friend. Dan sat down beside me at the base of the tree and locked his hands together behind his head.

"So, planning anything interesting?" he asked. I cut him a look and asked, "Why would I be planning anything?" Dan tilted his head back, as if to think, and placed his index finger on his chin. When he did that, he told me, "Well, with all of the stuff going on between you and Jones, there hasn't really been a dull day in this camp for a while."

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't plan any of what's been happening, Dan," I said briskly. He laughed and placed his hand on my shoulder. "I know. I was just messing with ya, buddy." Joe was still standing by us, looking somewhat awkward and cast out as Dan talked to me.

"Actually," I started. "There was something I thought about doing this afternoon, but I doubt I will." This seemed to peek Dan's interest, because his eyes were locked on me as he awaited for the rest of what I was going to say. "Which is what?"

Joe asked, apparently beating Dan to the same question. The brunette shot a look at Joe, then turned back to me and said, "Yeah, what he just said." I closed my eyes and said calmly, "Well, I was kind of wanting to go into town and check on Alice. You know, see how she's doing after what happened last time."

Dan nodded his head in understanding, but Joe only looked at me with total confusion. "Who's Alice?" he asked, running a nervous hand through his hair. It then occurred to me that Joe had no prior knowledge of her, but I was sure that if I mentioned when we first met her, he'd remember.

Dan spoke up and told him, "You remember that group of girls we ran into back at that town a while back? The same group with that loud-mouth bluenette that decided to yell at me? Well, it was that orange-haired girl that Shun bumped into." Joe was now scratching the back of his neck, looking more and more confused.

"I know who you're talking about, Dan. But what I don't understand is why Shun wants to go all the way back to that town and check up on somebody that probably doesn't even remember him." Dan glanced over at me, and I sighed.

"It's a lot more complicated than that, Joe," I told him, hoping that he would leave it there. He nodded and said in an unsure tone, "Okay." I felt somewhat bad about leaving some details out, but I had plenty of time to fill Joe in on this later.

Dan stood up from the tree and told me, "Well, if you do go and check on her, find me. I want to see her too." I narrowed my eyes at him and said sharply, "Dan, don't even think about trying to hit on her." He held up his hands in defense and quickly said, "I wasn't! I just want to see if she's okay. She was scared to death that night, and I want to make sure she's fine, just like you do. So, don't go and think I'm unable to care about somebody."

I saw in his eyes, and by the tone in his voice, that he meant what he said. I sighed and told him, "Alright. Sorry for accusing you. I'll find you if I decide to go." Dan nodded and walked off, to where I assumed was his tent. Joe was still standing in his spot, as if not sure what to do. But he eventually walked off in another direction, leaving me still by myself at the tree.

_Shun_

After spending most of the day thinking my decision over, I finally came to a conclusion and decided that I would go and see Alice. It was the only reasonable thing to after what happened to her. That, and I wanted to see her in general. Well, considering that she was still at the town.

She could have hopped on a train weeks ago and left this place, and I would never know. This little possibility never crossed my mind until now. I sighed, still keeping to my decision to go into the town and see her. So what if she wasn't there anymore?

It only meant that she was back home, and somewhere safer than here. I was about to go and look for Dan, keeping my promise to take him with me if I did go to check on Alice. But rather than me finding him first, he found me. He waved at me and said, "There you are. Did you make up your mind yet?"

I nodded and told him, "Yeah. I decided that I'd go. In fact, I was just looking for you to tell you that." Dan smiled, then moved over a bit, revealing Joe behind him. I blinked in surprise, wondering how I didn't notice him standing behind Dan. "Hey," I said to him, still pondering how he had slipped past my sight.

Dan chimed in and told me, "Joe wanted to tag along, if that's cool with you. This is your girl, after all." I narrowed my eyes at him and said under my breath, "Shut it." Dan smirked and held his hands up in defense. "It's fine with me, Joe," I said to to less annoying of my two friends.

Before leaving, we slipped into our civilian clothes so we wouldn't stand out in the town, then walked away from the camp. Nobody said anything to us as we left in plain daylight. As we walked over the hill and the town came into our sights, Dan asked me, "Do you have any idea as to where she's staying?"

I shook my head and told him, "There can't be that many places in this town that provide a room." Dan shrugged his shoulders. Soon, we walked into the town. It was a very different from the one Alice lived in. This one seemed less busy and bustling, but it was a welcoming town nonetheless.

I didn't even have to go into buildings and ask owners if they had seen Alice, because I saw her walk out of an inn and go towards a well, bucket in her hand to collect the water. "Alice!" I said loud enough for her to hear me. She looked up and saw Dan, Joe, and I.

A smile crossed her face at the sight of us. The three of us walked up to her, and she asked me, "What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" I was about to open my mouth and respond to her question, but Dan jumped in front of me and spoke instead.

"Everything's fine. Shun just wanted to check in on you and make sure you were okay," he said with a grin on his face. I shot a glare in his direction, but he didn't notice. A slight blush appeared on Alice's face, and she smiled at us. "Thank you for your concern, Shun," she said to me.

"But why are they here?" she suddenly asked, turning to Dan and Joe. She then quickly added, "I didn't mean that in a bad way. I was just curious."

Dan grinned and waved a nonchalant hand at her before saying, "Well, being the concerned and caring person that I am, I wanted to come with him and check in on you as well. Joe, on the other hand, tagged along because he wanted to and needed a refresher on who you were." She stared at the dirty-blonde that stood behind Dan and I.

Her eyes narrowed and she examined him over, then her eyes lit up. "I remember you now! You were there when I first met Shun!" Joe nodded his head slightly, seeming too shy around Alice to speak. But I doubted it was because of Alice herself, but rather that Joe was just shy in general.

Alice's attention then turned from us, to something just beyond us. Her eyes widened, and she then ran in between Dan and I. I turned around and saw her running towards an elderly man, and the two girls that had been present when we first met.

_Alice_

The only way I could describe what I was feeling, was pure joy. I hadn't been expecting my grandfather and friends to show up at this town, seeing as to how far away it was from back home. I was expecting something like a few dollars to buy a ticket and send me the money through the mail.

The three people wrapped their arms around me in a tight hug, whispering how glad they were to see me and know that I was okay. Shun and his friends had completely slipped my mind as I enjoyed the warm embrace of my friends and family.

The three guys walked up behind us, and when I broke the hug, I saw them out of the corner of my eye. "Oh, I'm sorry guys. This is my-" Runo's shrill voice cut me off. "You!" she bellowed. The brunette narrowed his eyes at her and snapped back, "You!"

I felt like a lightning storm was brewing around me in the air. I stepped in between her and Dan, and Shun did the same. Now, we stood back to back, keeping our friends at bay from one another. "Runo," I whispered. "They're friends."

She narrowed her eyes at Dan, then turned her attention back to me. "How can you possibly be friends with somebody that's as rude and arrogant as him?" she asked me harshly. I still couldn't believe that after all of this time, and that short meeting, she still had hard feelings against Dan.

Yeah, he wasn't the most well-mannered guy in the world, but I didn't think their meeting had been that bad. In fact, Runo had been the one to start the argument if I recalled right. All Dan had done was retort back. "Runo, play nice," I whispered back at her.

She calmed down and told me, "Alright, but only because you asked me to." Shun had apparently succeeded in calming Dan down. How, I wasn't sure. I turned to my friends and grandfather and said, "This is Dan, Joe, and Shun."

I pointed to each one as I said their respected names. Julie and my grandfather gave them a nod of the head to acknowledge them, but Runo didn't do anything except continue to glare at Dan. In turn, I then introduced each of the guys to my friends and one true family member I had.

Once I felt that all the introductions were done, I said, "Why don't we go into the resturaunt and sit down so we can talk?" The six people looked at one another before nodded in approval to my idea. I led them into the inn I was staying at, and the innkeeper saw me and said, "Alice, what took you so long to get that water?"

He then looked up and saw me leading in a group of people. "Sorry, sir. I ran into some people that I knew and lost track of what I was doing," I told him honestly. He put his newspaper down and said, "It's quite alright. I'll go get the water myself. You all make yourselves at home."

Dan then cut a smart remark while glancing at Runo by saying, "Now, that's Southern hospitality." She growled at him, and I rolled my eyes. I sat down at a table in the restaurant, and the others followed. Julie then leaned across the table and asked me, "What are you doing way out here, Alice?"

Runo followed in and said, "Yeah. You had the whole town scared to death." A feeling of guilt washed over me. I didn't mean to cause everyone grief and worry, but I hadn't been thinking when I got on that train and followed Shun all the way out here.

I fiddled with my hands under the table and said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Runo narrowed her eyes at me and said, "Try me." Sighing, I got my story together and told them the truth that they deserved to know.

_Shun_

I sat silently at the table as Alice explained how she ended up all the way from her home, to this town. Joe was listening intently to her story, finally getting his answer to what he had asked a couple of hours ago. Dan seemed surprised himself, even though he knew that Alice had gotten on our train and disguised herself as a soldier.

But nobody's facial expressions matched that of her friends and grandfather. Their jaws hung open, eyes wide. They couldn't believe that their beloved Alice had done any of this. Runo stood up from the table and said rather loudly, "Have you lost your mind, Alice?"

The orange-haired girl flinched at her friend's sudden outburst. Runo, realizing that her words had effected Alice in an unwanted way, calmed down her voice and said gently, "You could have been hurt, or worse. Just…Don't do something like that again. Promise?"

Alice nodded her head slowly. "Yeah. If something happened to you, then it would have only added onto the drama back home. You know, with the town still all surprised about what went down with you and Klaus," said the silver-haired girl. My interest was now peeked with the mentioning of that.

"What happened?" I asked, hoping that somebody would shed some light on my confusion. Alice stared down at the table and said softly, "The day you left from that camp, I was going to tell you, but I didn't get the chance. And I still haven't been able to tell you."

Her eyes were distant, but they showed something that she wasn't entirely proud of. "Tell me," I said, trying not to sound too demanding. But I wanted to know what happened. Julie jumped into the conversation and told me, "Klaus caught Alice with some guy at this ball, which I don't blame her for doing that, and he went crazy. He broke off their engagement and enlisted in the army."

I felt my eyes widen, and I quickly turned my attention to Alice, who was still staring at the table. She then said to her friends, "There was….A lot more behind it than what you guys know." I had no idea any of this had happened. Julie and Runo looked at their friend, confusion on their faces.

Alice then said, "I was with Shun that night, and Klaus wasn't very fond of him from the start because he had captured Shun and locked him up about a month before the ball. I had let Shun go without Klaus' knowledge, and the night of the ball when Klaus saw us together, he found the knife that I had used to cut Shun free with. So, now he had seen me with somebody else and knew that I had let a prisoner go. That's what sent him over the edge."

I stared at her with disbelief. I had no knowledge about any of this; that Klaus had seen us together than night, or the he found out that Alice had helped free me. But now it made sense why Klaus had been out there during the battle, and why he went ballistic on me.

A sick feeling had formed in my stomach with knowing this though. I hadn't meant for things to go this far and to this extent. All I had wanted was a normal night for once. "I'm sorry," I told her. "I had no idea any of this would happen."

Alice turned towards me, and smiled. "It's okay, Shun. I'm not mad at you," she said in a singsong voice. It didn't matter if she was mad at me or not, I had caused her trouble that I hadn't meant to cause. Her two friends and grandfather sat at the table, not sure what to make about what Alice had just told them about the history between Klaus and I.

Hours went by as the truth kept being spilled to her friends and family member. Finally, it was nighttime, and our group was starting to grow tired. The elderly man checked his pocket watch and said, "Well, I was hoping we could go back home today, but seeing as to how late it is, I guess it will have to wait till tomorrow. In the meantime, I think we shall stay in one of the rooms upstairs. Any idea where the innkeeper is?"

Alice pointed to an office, and the old man left the table. They were planning on taking her back home tomorrow? I should have been happy for her; she would be back with her family and safe. But a part of me didn't want to see her go, despite it not being safe around here.

Her grandfather and two friends soon went up to their rented rooms, and Dan and Joe went ahead and hurried back to the camp before people started to wonder where the three of us had run off to. But now, all that was left at the table was Alice and I.

"So, you're leaving tomorrow?" I asked, surprised by the tint of disappointment in my voice. Alice must have not noticed it, or she wasn't going to acknowledge it. "I guess so. I might try and talk my grandfather into letting me stay her a bit longer, but I doubt he will. He and my friends have been so worried about me, and I don't think they'll ever let me out of their sights again."

I slowly nodded my head, understanding what she was telling me. I stood up from the table and told her, "Well, I better get back to the camp." Alice then jumped up from the table and ran in front of me. She said to me, "If this is the end of the line, then I just wanted to let you know that it's been fun while it lasted."

I gave her a sad smile, but was somewhat surprised that she had found any of this fun. Surely she hadn't meant all of it; such as the battle and being attacked by Jones. She took my wrist in her hand, then stood on the end of her toes in order to kiss my lips.

I closed my eyes, kissing her back ever so gently. When we parted, I whispered to her with a smile, "Yeah. It's been fun." I then slipped my wrist from her hand, and reluctantly walked out of the inn and back towards the camp, hating that it had to come to an end.

* * *

**-falls over- i never thought i'd finish this. but of course, this isnt the end. FAR from it. and they WILL meet up again, just not sure how they will o.o'' well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	23. August 1862: Line Of Fire

_Shun_

I opened my eyes, seeing the roof of my tent above me. A sigh escaped my mouth, and I forced myself out of the cot that I had been sleeping on. Outside the thin fabric of the tent, I could hear laughter and conversations taking place, but I didn't want to take part in them.

The tent was empty, for the rest of its residents had already gotten up and gone out into the camp to socialize and carry on with their daily activities. I, on the other hand, had been sleeping in quite a lot recently. I didn't know why, but I had felt so drained as of lately.

Maybe it was because of all of the things that were going on around me, or perhaps the war was still taking its toll on me. _As if it had that much left to take from me, _I thought to myself. I walked to the entrance of the tent, and stuck my head outside.

The sky was blocked out by gray storm clouds, signaling that rain might come our way; it seemed like it rained a lot more in the South than it did up North. Further away from the camp, I heard a train whistle bellow, letting the world know that it was there.

It was another train sent to take soldiers off to other battlefields around the South, and thankfully, my name hadn't been drawn this go round; neither had Dan's or Joe's. I found that the three of us had been extremely lucky throughout the majority of this war, but I knew that our luck could run out at any moment.

I stepped out of the tent, and saw Komba, a duffle bag tossed over his shoulder. From what I could gather, he was walking towards the direction of the train station, and I immediately assumed he was going off to another battlefield. A pang of guilt shot through me.

Yeah, he had gotten on my nerves quite a lot since my arrival at this camp, but he had somewhat grown on me. I sighed, knowing good enough that there was nothing I could do about his leaving. Komba had been called to fight, and that was that. My gaze shifted away from Komba, and I caught sight of Joe.

He was sitting beside his tent, reading a letter, and a slight smile on his face. Quietly, I walked up to him and asked, "Good news?" Joe acted as if he had snapped out of a trance, then looked up at me. His smile returned when he said, "I finally got another letter from Chan. She was just telling me that things were going well back home."

That was Joe's home though. I had no clue as to how things were going back up in New York. Surely, it had to be better than down in the South. But I felt a pang in my chest when Joe mentioned his fiancee, and all I could contribute it to, was Alice.

Joe still had the person he cared about, and now that I thought about it, I probably would never see a certain orange-haired girl again. Because once the war ended, I would return back home and hopefully fall back into my normal routine.

I gave Joe a sad smile and told him, "That's good to know." After that, I walked off further into the camp. It wasn't just Alice's absence that was bothering me now, it was also a matter of being homesick. As much as I might have hated that town at times, it was still home. I shook my head, telling myself that I could be sentimental another day and another time.

_Alice_

I wasn't exactly welcomed back with warm greetings and open arms, but at least the storm that had been looming over my home was gone. My mother and father had been waiting had the train station after the four of us departed for home. All while on the ride back home, Julie and Runo filled me in on what had been going on back home.

There wasn't anything new, but I still listened anyway. While the two girls were babbling, my grandfather sat next to me, completely silent, but relief visible on his face. It was nice to know that somebody had missed me while I had been gone on my 'adventure.'

I recalled the awkward stares I got when I walked from the train station, and through the town that I lived in. There were questioning stares and glances that made me feel like I was some kind of freak or stranger. Why were they looking at me like that?

The only thing I could think of, was that the town had come up with so many reasons as to why I had left without a single word. My grandfather put his hand on my shoulder and whispered, "Don't worry about them. They just can't mind their own business."

I smiled, but I still hated the feeling of watchful eyes on me as I walked by. Now, I sat at the kitchen table, remain quiet like I had been since I returned home. My parents had harped on me to tell them where I had been, but I refused.

And when they went to my grandfather for answers, he didn't tell them anything either, on accunt for the fact that I told him not to even whisper a word as to where I had been. I told him that, because I knew that my parents wouldn't have been as understanding as my grandfather and friends had been.

Eventually, my parents gave up on trying to pry the truth from my fingers. That afternoon, I sat outside of my house on the front porch, enjoying the last bit of the day as the sun set behind the horizon. A carriage then pulled up in front of my house, and Murucho stepped out.

His eyes fell on me, and the short boy ran up to me. He was wearing a new outfit from I had normally seen him in; it was a darker blue, and white, ruffled shirt worn underneath the blue coat. It looked nice on him, but it was something that I would have to get used to.

I asked, "What are you doing way out here, Murucho?" He straightened the new jacket that he wore and said, "I just heard that you were back, and wanted to drop by for a visit." I wondered how Murucho hadn't heard of my arrival back in town until now.

Perhaps he wasn't that deep in the loop like I thought he had been. "Thanks," I said to him with a smile. He joined me on the bench and talked with me for a while. A topic then came up that caught me off guard. "So, what were you doing in Tennessee?" he asked.

Taken aback, I turned to look at him and asked, "How do you know about that?" Murucho raised an eyebrow at me, obviously confused. "Julie told me," he said softly, unsure if he should have been saying anything else. I felt my eyes narrow and I blurted out, "I told her not to tell anyone."

Then again, it was Julie. But at least she had told Murucho, who was someone that I trusted with all of my well-being. Although, I was still somewhat angry at Julie for going against my wishes, even if Murucho deserved to know. I asked him, "Have you told anyone, Murucho?"

He shook his head, and I felt somewhat relieved. "And even if I was thinking about telling anyone, I'm not going to now that I know you want it to stay secret," he told me. I couldn't help but smile, and found myself wrapping my arms around his tiny frame in a hug.

"Thank you so much," I said to him, truly grateful; I didn't want word of this getting around the town, especially when I was already getting so many strange looks. Murucho pulled out of the hug and told me, "No problem, Alice. Anything for a friend."

A single tear rolled down my cheek, but it was a tear of joy, for I had somebody else that I could trust in this world, where it seemed like nobody was truly honest and trustworthy anymore.

_Virginia_

_Klaus_

I paced back and forth impatiently, annoyance clear as daylight on my face. I had been called off to another battle against the Union, but it wasn't the army that I wanted; only a few had been taken from Grant's division, and I knew that he wasn't among those numbers.

I just had a feeling that he wasn't. The sound of metal running against rock, made me turn around and snap, "Will you cut that out?" The soldier looked up at me and narrowed his eyes at me. I knew he was. His name was Billy, and I recalled him being the boyfriend of one of Alice's friends.

He set down the knife he had been sharpening and said flatly, "I'm trying not to get killed out there tomorrow. So, you can pace around somewhere else if you don't want to listen to this." He went back to sharpening the knife. I rolled my eyes and walked away, not feeling like dealing with Billy's ignorance.

As the hours went by and the approaching battle got closer, I couldn't help but think back to Shiloh, and when I had finally gotten a hold of Shun. _But if it hadn't been for that soldier getting in the way. _I tightened my jaw, causing my teeth to clench into a snarl. That had been the only reason I went into this war; in the hopes that I would run into Shun and get back at him for the trouble that he had caused in my life.

He had taken away what was precious to me, corrupted my dear Alice, and I wanted him to pay for that. Night finally fell over the camp, but I did not retreat to my tent when the other soldiers did. Instead, I stayed up and wandered around the camp, completely restless thanks to the battle coming tomorrow.

I eventually grew tired of walking around, and retreated back to my tent and tried my best to sleep. I only got a few hours before the sun rose in the sky, and I heard the sound of a bugle. The soldiers in the camp, quickly left their cots and prepped themselves for our battle.

Within a couple of hours, General Lee had us lined up, and we began the march of the Second Battle Of Bull Run. Another bugle sounded, and I mentally prepped myself just in time for when the charge started, and our army was locked in a battle with that of General John Pope's.

I focused on what was in front of me, determined to make it through this battle, and as many as it would take, for me to get back and fight Shun once again. Bullets shot past me, but they didn't make me so much as flinch as I ran through the battlefield.

The next day, Pope's army retreated, giving us the victory. Their casulaties were high, and they left many of their dead behind. I stood there, examining the now calm field that had been filled with violence not an hour ago. Then, I looked down at a dead Union soldier.

He had been shot in the abdonmen, and he had a fine line of blood trickling down from somewhere on his forehead. I hadn't been the one to kill this soldier, but it didn't matter if I had been. He was dead now, and that was it. I examined the soldier more closely.

He was small, and looked like he didn't even belong in a war. Then again, armies on both sides were taking whoever they could. The soldier's skin was dark, and he had coarse black hair that was tightly curled up.

This was the image of the war that would be remembered for years to come, I just knew it. Not caring to look at the fallen soldier, I walked off back to my camp, stepping over others that had died in the line of fire.

* * *

**back! sorry for not uploading for a couple of days. i was pretty busy this week, and there were a couple of times that i didnt feel like writing a new chapter. well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	24. September 1862: Harsh Realities

_Alice_

The usual celebrations for a Confederate victory began to take place in the town. It had been a while since the South had one a battle, and now, it looked like they had made a comeback. But I wasn't celebrating with the townspeople.

No, I was too busy sitting at home and wondering if Shun had been in the recent battle. There was no way for me to know, so all I could do was hope. I had heard that the battle had been bloody; the Union loosing about 10,000 of their troops.

That was such a large number to me, and it only made me fear the worst for Shun. What if he had been in that battle and among that number of casulaties? It wasn't like there was anything that I could do about it. I thought about what the battle might have looked like.

If it had been anything like the one I was in, then it was horrible. Something Shun told me once, returned to my mind. _It's a war. That's about it. _It wasn't just certain battles that were bloody and horrible. It was all of them. They were all the same, the only thing changing being the number of casualties and who the victor was. I ran a hand through my hair.

How could nobody else see this? Why did people not think about the bloodshed that was taking place out there during those battles? It made me sick just thinking about the ignorance that had infected this country during this war. I stood up at the kitchen table, the chair I was sitting in moving back as I did so, and left out of the house.

Behind me, I heard my grandfather ask where I was going. "Out," was all I told him. I walked into town and ignored the stares that I was still getting. Up ahead, I saw Runo and Julie standing outside of the general store. Julio was out there and speaking with them.

My two friends then saw me and smiled. "Hey, Alice," said Runo. Julie greeted me as well and went back to talking to Julio. Runo motioned over to our silver-haired friend and told me, "She's waiting to see if she gets a letter from Billy."

_Like everyday, _I silently added in. Julie always waited by the general store for a response letter from Billy, despite the fact that she knew that it would take a while for the letter to arrive. That is, if it ever did. For all we knew, something could have happened to Billy recently.

He could have died in that last battle. But he had made it this far, and I doubted that he'd go down now. A carriage stopped in front of the general store, and the driver dropped off and small burlap sack, then he went on his way. Julio picked up the sack and rummaged around inside.

It was filled with letters for the townspeople. He kept digging around, then pulled out a letter and handed it over to Julie. She squealed and tore the envelop open. Her eyes scanned the contents, and her expression went from that of joyous to a more serious one.

She said, "I didn't know Klaus was in Billy's division." I snatched the letter from her and said, "What?" Sure enough, it stated in the letter that Klaus was there with Billy, who wasn't so thrilled about my old fiance being there. Julie took her letter back and folded it up, then carefully placed it back in the envelop.

"I'll write him back later tonight," she said more to herself than to us. I could see the relief on Julie's face. She worried about Billy so much, and I wondered if I looked like her at times when I worried about Shun. Perhaps I did, but I'd never know. But I was happy to know that Billy was still alive and well. Now, if only I could find out about Shun.

_Shun_

The camp was silent once news reached up about the end results of the latest battle. Our army had suffered greatly during that battle, and from what I had been told, none of the soldiers from our camp made it. Which meant that Komba had most likely perished during the fighting.

A feeling of guilt and sorrow returned to me, a feeling that I hadn't felt since Jake's death. Maybe it was because it had been a while since somebody I knew died. But Komba's death reminded me that none of us were truly safe during the war.

Death could take any of us, at any moment while out there on the battlefield. I sighed, and tilted my head back so I could see through the branches of the tree I was sitting under. Dan then walked up to me and said, "Grant's wanting all of us to hold a vigil tonight for the soldiers that died in that battle."

That was what Grant always did when soldiers from his camp fell in battle. In fact, he had done the same thing after Shiloh, but I hadn't attended because I was too worried about Alice at the time. But now, I felt somewhat obligated to go.

Maybe it was because Komba had died, or perhaps I felt guilty for not going to the last one. Regardless, it wouldn't hurt if I went, right? "Okay," I told Dan. He nodded and walked off somewhere else. Once night fell, soldiers began to gather at the edge of the camp.

They gathered around as another cross was stuck in the ground next to several others; each one had an the name of each battle that Grant had fought in, and an In Memory Of Those Who Died in those battles. The Second Battle Of Bull Run was staked into the ground next to the Shiloh cross.

The only sounds filling the air, was that of crickets and the hammer as it nailed the cross into the dirt. I wondered how many more of these crosses would be staked into the ground.

By the way things were going in this war, I had a feeling that there would be a lot more added onto this small memorial. _This war has to end soon. Or else there won't be anyone left to fight it._ I then turned around and left the vigil.

_Dan_

I noticed that Shun left the vigil almost right after it started. Nobody else seemed to notice him leave though; they were too busy holding their heads down as somebody said a prayer and sent their condolences to the families of the soldiers that died.

I took this chance and snuck away. Soon, I found Shun and said to him, "Hey, Shun. What was that back there? Why'd you walk off like that?" He glanced at me and asked me, "Do you ever think that this war is going to end?" His question caught me off guard.

"Of course it's going to end. What's up with you?" I asked, starting to worry about my friend. "Nothing," he said flatly. I was wondering if Shun was finally started to break under all of this pressure. I had watched plenty of the other soldiers have their breakdowns, and I could only call it something that was natural, seeing what the circumstances were.

But Shun had taken on so much more stress than everyone else, and it boggled my mind how he had held up for this long. Perhaps Shun wasn't the kind that snapped easily under pressure. Even back home, he had always been able to keep his cool while everyone else snapped.

But I would have thought that a war would have done him in a long time ago. "I really doubt it's nothing, Shun." My friend glanced back at me again and sighed. "The way this war is going now," he started. "I don't think there will be an end. This was was started over a lost cause as it was. And to even fight for it was an idiotic thing to do."

He had somewhat of a point. This whole war was started with slavery as its root cause. And even though it was a noble thing to do and fight for it, it was such a large task to take on. When I thought about it, if the war never ended, then the slaves would be free.

Because the North and South would end up killing everyone from both sides. Back where the vigil was taking place, I saw soldiers started to disperse and retreat back to their tents. "This war has got to have an end. It might be a while from now, but it will end," I said to my friend, trying to sound reassuring.

But to be honest, I was doubting that it was going to end as well. Shun walked past me and said, "If you say so, Dan." I sighed and began to walk back towards my tent. Along the way, I ran into Joe. He said, "Hey, Dan. Are you about to turn in for the night?"

I nodded my head, not really feeling like talking to anyone, much less Joe. "Ah," he said. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that word has spread from up North to here that Lincoln might have found a way to free the slaves." I looked a Joe, and raised an eyebrow at him.

"How so?" I asked. Joe scratched the back of his head and told me, "Something called an Emancipation Proclamation. But it won't go into effect until January unless the Confederate states join back into the Union." From what little Joe just told me, the only logical thing I could gather from it was the fact that if the Confederates didn't give up the war and reunited with the country they left, the slaves would be free.

I told Joe, "Well, he knows good and well that the Confederates aren't going to go back to the Union." Joe shrugged his shoulders and said, "Regardless, it's kind of a win-win if you think about it. Well, mainly for the Union rather than the Confederacy."

Again, Joe had me confused. "How is it a win-win for us?" I asked. My friend smiled and told me, "Well, if they abide by this Proclamation, then the Union is reunited, putting an end to this war. But if they don't, then the slaves are freed and it will somewhat cripple the South's economy."

I hadn't thought about the last scenario. The South depended highly on slave labor to produce their goods. Without the slaves, they would probably suffer enough to give the Union an upper hand. "Maybe Lincoln is on to something here," I told Joe.

My friend nodded and said, "Let's hope so. This will most likely help us out either way, and we need all the help we can get." I glanced over at the new wooden cross that was staked in the ground, and I couldn't have agreed more with Joe.

After talking a little bit longer with Joe, I retreated to my tent and laid down on the cot. Everyone else that bunked with me, was sound asleep, so I had no worries about being asked why I was out so late. It wasn't like I was doing anything wrong; I just didn't want to answer any questions.

_At least I didn't do like Shun and sneak out to see some girl, _I thought myself while staring up at the 'ceiling' of the tent. I still couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that Shun had basically been seeing her while we were in the midst of a war. _He always had strange timing, _I mused to myself before falling asleep.

* * *

**ah. sleepy sleepy sleepy, i am. -.-zzzzz read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	25. October 1862: Written In Blood

_Alice_

Everything around me was blurred, but I could just make out the images of people running around me, along with the ear-splitting shots of gunfire. My eyes scanned my foggy surroundings, and I soon realized that I was back on a battlefield. Except, I knew this was a dream because bullets shot straight through me, as if I was nothing but air.

All I was, was only an observer to the carnage of the battle. This wasn't me reliving the Battle Of Shiloh, which I had done several times before in my dreams. No, this was a different battle entirely. Perhaps one that hadn't even taken place yet.

I watched as the bodies of soldiers were flung back, spurts of blood shooting out of their backs and other extremities. It was just as bloody as I remembered my battle to be, but somehow it felt worse. Maybe I still wasn't used to watching these kind of atrocities and horrors.

But what other choice did I have? It wasn't like I was able to wake myself up from this nightmare and recompose myself till I was sure that it was all created by my mind. I would have to grin and bare it until my mind woke me up. I walked around the battlefield, still flinching whenever a sword or bullet came towards me, despite the fact that nothing could hurt me.

But just because I was a ghost in this world, didn't mean that my body wasn't going to react as it should when danger came my way. As I looked around at the corpses of dead soldiers, I felt tears swell up in my eyes. None of these people deserved to die in this way.

It just wasn't right. None of it was. My gaze was then taken from the bodies, to two familiar figures fighting in front of me. It was Shun and Klaus, locked in combat like that had been back at Shiloh. But this time, there was nothing I could do to intervene in their fight.

All I could do, was sit by and watch, and hope that I witnessed nothing back happened between the two. Neither one of them seemed to have a gun or pistol on their person, which led me to believe that they had disarmed each other.

I didn't realize that my heart was racing from watching the action unfold before my eyes, and I began to wonder if my sleeping self was reacting the same way that I was in this dream. Shun landed a punch on Klaus' stomach, making the blue-haired man bend over as he tried to regain his breath.

I was hoping for Shun to win, but I didn't want to watch Klaus be killed either. I had witnessed enough death already, and I didn't want to see it happen to anyone else. Although, it was kind of ironic because soldiers all around me were dropping dead.

But all I could focus on, was who the winner of this fight would be. Klaus ran off, and Shun began to pursue him. For a moment, I lost sight of them among the crowded battlefield. But just like curtains in a theater pulling back to reveal that next act in a show, I spotted them once more and ran towards the new location of the action.

Apparently in that moment of temporary blindness, Klaus had gotten his hands on a Calvary sword. He was swinging the blade at Shun, keeping the raven-haired individual at bay. _Keep your distance, Shun, _I thought to myself as Shun kept trying to get within striking distance of Klaus.

Each time the blade was swung, and it just barely missed Shun's person, I found myself holding my breath. Watching this was getting intense, and I didn't think I could keep on looking. But I did. I couldn't bring myself to tear my eyes from the events taking place in front of me due to fear that I would miss something and see one of the two guys laying on the ground dead.

Shun dodged another swing, but stumbled back and fell onto the ground. He didn't get the chance to return back to his feet before Klaus had the tip of the saber pointed at his throat. Shun's eyes widened with fear as the end of the blade got closer to his skin.

Unable to stand-by and watch this any longer, I found myself running towards the two of them, knowing good and well that there was nothing I could do. But I wanted to at least try. I stepped in between Klaus and Shun the moment that my enraged ex-fiance pulled the saber back to slice it into Shun's throat.

When he forced the sword forward, it went through my body with ease, not hurting me in the slightest bit, but the blade kept going and pierced Shun in the chest. I glanced back and gasped at the sight. Shun was staring right through me and straight at Klaus.

His jaw was tightened into a grimace of pain as the cold metal remained jammed in his chest. Klaus only wore an evil grin and stared down at Shun in triumphant victory. My eyes were still glued on Shun. Klaus pulled the sword out, and it passed through my ghost-like body, where he then wiped the blood off with a hankerchief.

Blood oozed out of the wound in Shun's chest, and I watched as the color began to rapidly drain from his face. My legs wobbled beneath me, but I didn't allow myself to drop down to my knees. Klaus was walking away from the scene to rejoin the rest of the battle.

Normally, I would have chased after him and tried to do something to get back at him for what he had done to Shun. But this was a dream, and there was nothing I could do but stand there and watch. Shun's eyes were starting to close, and I heard the last of his breath leave his lungs.

My body then lurched forward in my bed, sobs and screams escaped my mouth at the same time and creating a gasping sound. I brought my knees up to my chest and cried into them. My grandfather must have heard my cries, because he came running into my room, looking panicked and worried.

"Alice?! What's wrong?" he asked quickly and ran over to my bedside. I forced my sobs to cease, and wiped tears out of my eyes. "I'm fine, Grandfather. Just a bad dream," I told him honestly. _A really bad dream._ He wrapped his arms around me in a comforting hug and told me that it would be fine.

I believed him, but it all looked so real. Almost like it had happened and I was doing nothing more than reliving it. But at that moment, I was more thankful that my parents were out of town that night. I didn't want them trying to comfort me, which was something they weren't good at.

My grandfather asked if I was about to go back to sleep. I nodded my head and told him I was, and apologized for waking him at such a late hour. "It's nothing, Alice. Now, go back to sleep," he said gently. He patted my shoulder and walked out of my room, closing the door behind him and leaving me in the dark once more.

Slowly, I laid back down and took in deep breaths in order to slow down my still-speeding heart rate. My eyes closed as I felt sleep trying to take me under its hold once more. I wanted to numbing feeling of unconsciousness, but I feared that the dream would return to me the moment I slipped into a slumber.

But eventually, the need to sleep won against my fear, and I was out cold in a matter of moments. And once I was in my state of unconsciousness, my dreams resumed right where I left off; me staring at Shun's dead body.

_Shun_

Something caused me to jolt awake. I sat up in my cot, and looked around, thinking that it may have been somebody making noise in the tent that had made me wake up. But all of my bunk mates were sound asleep, and the only noise they were making was the occasionaly snore.

Wide awake now, I threw the covers off of my body and stepped out of the tent. The ground, cooled down by the night, felt good on my bare feet as I made the transition from the worn down dirt to the cool grass that rested nearby.

I wondered why I had suddenly woke from my sleep, and couldn't think of any reasons other than my mind didn't want me to rest. A full moon sat in the sky, lighting up the camp below. Staring up at the moon, I couldn't help but be curious as to whether or not I was the only one looking up at the moon.

In other words, I wanted to know if Alice was staring at it as well. The perfectly round, silver sphere in the sky was the most beautiful moon I had seen in my lifetime, and I didn't want to be the only one experiencing it. But I was sure that I was. Everyone else on this side of the world, was sound asleep; except for late night drunks and such, but they would be too wasted to marvel such a lovely site.

"What are you doing out of your tent," a voice asked me from my right. I turned and saw Jones standing there. He was swaying a little bit on his feet, and I couldn't tell if he was drunk, or just tired and not fully awake yet. Perhaps a mixture of the two.

"Does it matter why I'm out here?" I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral as to not send Jones into a rant and cause a commotion. There had already been two confrontations between Jones and I, and I doubted a third would go over well with General Grant.

Jones lumbered up to me and said, "Other than the fact that you shouldn't be out of your tent." Yeah, he was drunk. It was as clear on his breath as black was on white. "You're out of your tent too. What makes you so special that you get to leave it?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from getting an annoyed tone behind it.

Jones then lifted his hand and lightly shoved my shoulder. There wasn't even enough force to cause me to stumble back. "Listen," I stated. "I don't want any trouble, and in the condition you're in now, I doubt you even know what's going on. So, I'm just going to go back to my tent and leave you to do whatever it is you do."

I was about to turn around, when I felt a hand slap me across my face. The force of the slap had turned my head to the side, and I felt the little stings of where Jones' hand made contact with my cheek. Slowly, I turned my head back around and faced him, and used every fiber of strength I had to remain calm.

"That was very mature," I said as calmly as I could. Jones then narrowed his eyes at me and spit on my shirt, then gave a drunken grin. It was taking everything I had to keep from exploding, and I thought for a moment that I was about to fail at holding myself back.

And at the rate that this drunken idiot was pushing me, I was bound to snap soon. I didn't even say anything, and began to walk away. But the moment I turned my back, I heard Jones mutter under his breath, "Pathetic. Won't even fight a drunken man."

My jaw clenched and a growl escaped from my throat. He was pushing it. "Doesn't hardly seem fair if I fought you while you're drunk, now does it?" I asked without turning around. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jones shrug.

He then said, "Oh well. Hey, if you see your little girl again, ask her if she ever wants to be around a real man. If she does, then just tell her to give me a call." I didn't have to see his face to know that her wore a smug grin on it. His comment about Alice was what sent me over the edge. In one fluent motion, I turned around and landed a punch on his face.

_Dan_

The loud sound of pots and pans being knocked over woke up the soldiers that I bunked with. We all were sitting up, looking at one another in confusion. Odds were, a raccoon or some other small, nocturnal animal had snuck into the camp and knocked over the cookwear that was set up at a nearby tent.

But only when I heard the shouting of two people, did I realize it wasn't an animal causing a commotion. Curious as to see what was going on, my bunk mates and I ran out of the tent and looked around. Several other soldiers had come out of their tents, looking just as confused as we were.

Something further down the row of tents caught my eye, and I saw that a fight had broken out. When I narrowed my eyes in order to see who it was, I saw the distinct outline of Shun, and the person who he was fighting could have only been Jones.

Soldiers were already gathering around the fight and trying to egg it on. Quickly, I began to force my way to the front of the crowd, mainly in hopes that I could break it up before those two got in trouble with Grant. Shun was about to charge at Jones again, but I grabbed onto his arm and held him back.

Shun shot a glare at me that would have normally scared me into letting him go, but I wasn't going to allow him to strike fear into me this time. Jones' group then appeared and held back their friend as well. Now that I was closer, I could see the bloodied and beaten face of Jones.

And if his nose wasn't broken or fractured, then I needed to get my eyes checked. Shun's lip was busted open, and a fine line of blood trickled down from it and onto his chin. The two had glares locked on each other, and I knew if either side let them go, then the fight would just resume.

I whispered to Shun, "Calm down and walk away. He isn't worth it." Shun seemed to relax a bit, but Jones began to provoke him again. "What's the matter? Running off?" the brute said, knowing good and well what he was doing. Shun growled, and I had to tighten my grip on his arm to keep him away from Jones.

_Will you shut up, Jones!_ Joe then made his way through the gathering crowd and helped me hold Shun back. During that time, Jones' group was pulling their drunk, beaten friend back. Joe and I were doing the same thing, and we ended up escorting the two of them to opposite ends of the camp.

The crowd of watching soldiers dispersed when they saw the fight was over. I narrowed my eyes at Shun and asked sharply, "What do you think you're doing?" Joe had handed over a hankerchief for Shun to use on his lip to stop the bleeding.

The white cloth was now splotched with red. "He deserved what he got," Shun said flatly. I shook my head and told him, "As true as that might be, if Grant caught you two in another fight, then he might have thrown both of you out of the army."

It wasn't a very honorable thing to be kicked out of the army. It could mean cold and disproving looks from people back home. Shun continued to hold the hankerchief to his lip when he said, "And I care because? If you remember, I didn't exactly join this for honor or whatever.

In fact, I didn't join at all." I ran a hand through my hair and blurted out, "You are unbelievable at times, you know that, Shun?" My friend only nodded, acting almost proud of this little bit of truth. I rolled my eyes and told him, "Alright. Do whatever you want to. Next time you and Jones get into a fight, don't expect Joe or I to break it up. I'm just going to let it keep going."

Shun had his eyes closed when he said, "Fine by me. That idiot deserves a lot more than what he got tonight." I shook my head and walked away, tired and not wanting to deal with anymore drama that night.

* * *

**sorry for being tardy to the party. o.o'' i got sidetracked and started late on this chapter, then my aunt and grandma showed up, then it was time to eat. but i think i ended this up in decent time. so now, virtual birthday cake for all of my loyal readers! i would especially like to thank Jazzmonkey for the awesome story she wrote using the characters from The Fallen Love Trilogy. It was an AWESOME birthday present XD thanks ever so much! read, review, and other things! ~Copperpelt~**


	26. November 1862: A Tragic Turn Of Events

_Alice_

I sat at the kitchen table, trying to keep myself awake. Ever since those dreams started, I hadn't gotten that much sleep, and I was starting to feel the effects of the lack of rest. All I wanted was to find a way to make them stop. It was bad enough I had to live the horror once, but over and over almost every night was just too much.

I wasn't sure how much more of it I could take till I would break down. I already felt at my wit's end, which was surprising for me. If I knew what it was I could do to put an end to the hellish nightmares, I would have done it in a heartbeat. My grandfather walked into the kitchen, looking as if he had just woken from a goodnight's rest.

If he had, then I envied him. He yawned and saw me at the table, where he proceeded to sit down across from me. "Morning, Alice. Did you get any sleep last night?" he asked through his yawn. He knew about the sudden occurrence of my nightmares, and how they had been effecting my sleep.

I shook my tired head, my messy orange curls hitting my face as I did so. My grandfather frowned and told me, "I'm sure they'll eventually go away." I sighed, wishing that he was right. Although he knew about the dreams, he didn't know what they were about since I refused to tell him.

What would he think if I told him I kept seeing Klaus killing Shun? Would he think of me as crazy? It just seemed like a better idea to keep the contents of my dreams to myself. _But they seem so real, _I silently thought to myself. "They're just dreams, Alice," my grandfather told me, obviously sensing my distress.

I applauded his attempt to comfort me, but if he had seen what my subconscious mind had shown me, then he wouldn't think they were just dreams. I closed my eyes, fighting the need to shed tears. My grandfather sighed and stood up from the table. "I'm going into town," he told me.

"Do you want to come with me? It might do you some good to get out and get some fresh air." I thought about his proposal, then shook my head. He frowned once more before leaving the house. I didn't like seeing my grandfather worry about me, but he had no idea as to what I was going through at the time.

I left the table and walked over to a window, where I peered out and watched my grandfather leave the house on horseback. I was all alone now; my parents still out of town on business. But if I knew what this 'business' was, then I guessed they were trying to find me another suitor.

Although, when I came back home after being gone for several months, they promised to stop trying to force me to marry complete strangers. But that didn't mean they would keep their word. Then again, they could have been telling me the truth, and I was just being overly paranoid.

This lack of trust in them was the result of them not keeping their word very often. I sighed, and began to quiet my rampaging thoughts down. My eyes then focused on the trees that surrounding the house. They were all shades of brown and yellow as another Fall swept across the land and changed the scenary once more.

I began to count the months since the war began to change everything. It was well over a year and a half at this point. Maybe even two years. It amazed me how quickly time had passed by already. It felt like just yesterday, I was still with Klaus and trying my best to make it through the day by pretending that I loved him.

I began to wonder where Klaus was at the time, and what he was doing. Was it wrong that I was thinking about him, even with all that had happened between me and him? I was allowed to think about people, right? Even if I didn't particularly like them?

Still staring out the window, I adverted my gaze up at the sky and took in the site of the vast blue space. There wasn't a cloud in the sky; the only thing that was up there, was a flock of passing birds.

Smoke then began to rise up into the sky from afar. It was thick and black, and destroying the perfect scene. I soon realized that the smoke was coming from town, and I quickly ran out of the house and towards the source.

_Alice_

I finally reached town, and saw a large crowd gathered around the general store, which was up in flames and had smoke flooding out of any opening it could find. My mouth was slightly open with shock, just like some many others around me. Snapping myself back to reality, I ran closer towards the burning building and joined the crowd.

Heat waves radiated from the store, and I had to step back a little so I wouldn't get too hot. I looked around and saw Julie and Runo. They were standing on the other side of the crowd, watching as well. Their eyes fell on me, and they began to run to meet up with me.

I met them halfway and asked, "What happened here?" The two girls shrugged their shoulders, obviously confused like me. The town's 'fire department' came running up to the scene, buckets of water in their hands, and they began to try and extinguish the flames.

Once things were a little bit more under control, several people from the crowd, mainly men, ran into the store and came out with the people that had been trapped inside. One of them, was Julio, of course. He was walking on his own, but needed to be steadied by one of the brave volunteers.

Several more people were brought out; some were in better shape than others. I overheard a conversation between two of the people who had helped to put out the fire. One of them said, "Looks like a lantern was knocked over and caught the place on fire."

The other nodded and turned back to the charred remains of the building. One of the townspeople that had run into the burned store to help those inside, came walking out, a person draped over his shoulder. He set the man down on the ground, and from where I was standing, I saw that it was my grandfather.

Shock took over me, and I pushed my way through the crowd and joined his side. His skin was covered in soot and ash, but I couldn't tell if he was still alive or not. "Grandfather?" I whispered, trying to hold back tears. Julie and Runo were standing behind me now.

I knew this because I could feel their gazes on my grandfather and I; I didn't have to see them in order to know that there was shock on their faces as well. A man walked up to me and said, "Ma'am? Do you mind if I take him to my office?"

I glanced up and saw it was the town doctor that had taken my grandfather's place after his retirement. I nodded my head, but I was sure that I hadn't fully registered what he had asked me. The doctor snapped his fingers, and several other people stepped out from behind him and they picked carefully picked my grandfather up.

Once they had carried him off on a stretcher, the doctor told me, "I promise to take care of him and the others that were hurt in the fire." Again, I nodded, but did not know why. The doctor tipped his hat to me and ran off.

The crowd that had gathered around the burned general store, began to thin out, leaving me still knelt down where my grandfather had been laying just a moment ago. I felt two sets of hands rest on my shoulders, and knew it was Runo and Julie. The reality of everything finally set in on me, and I let my tears flow freely.

_Alice_

Julie and Runo escorted me back home, but I kept fighting against them and saying that I wanted to see my grandfather first. They insisted that I needed to go home and get some rest, seeing as what I had just been through. Although they had a point, my mind wasn't thinking straight, and I was being irrational.

My two friends finally succeeded into getting me back home, and laying me down on my bed. I was now sobbing, making myself sick with worry for my grandfather. What would I do if he didn't make it? He was the only family member that I had that truly understood me, and listened to the problems that I may have been suffering from.

The only other people that were like that, were Julie, Runo, and Murucho. But they weren't blood, no matter how close they were to me. Julie had stayed in my room with me, and Runo had stepped out for a moment, and soon returned with a cup of hot tea.

She offered it to me, and I took the drink in my shaking hands. Slowly, I sipped the hot liquid. "It'll be okay, Alice," Runo told me, but I thought I detected a hint of doubt behind her voice. That made my eyes well up with more tears, but I quickly forced them away before they had a chance to spill over. "Do you really think so?" I asked her. Runo hesitated for a moment before saying, "Of course. Now, get some rest, Alice."

The two girls left me alone in my room. Once I finished the last of my tea, I laid down in my bed and stared up at the ceiling. Tears started to form again, and this time I failed at keeping them down. They flowed from my eyes and down my face, landing on the pillow beneath my head.

My eyes began to grow heavy, and I feel asleep. And for the first night in a while, I didn't have a dream of Klaus killing Shun, but rather one of fire.

_Alice_

Morning rolled around, and when I woke, I felt completely awful from all of the crying I had been doing the night before. Slowly, I climbed out of my bed and made my way to the kitchen. When I crossed the threshhold, I expected to see my grandfather at the table, but saw Julie and Runo instead.

My eyes felt like they were trying to make more tears, but they were all dried out. Julie smiled at me and said, "Morning." But her smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared when she saw that I was still out of it. I pulled out a seat at the table, and sat down.

Runo and Julie looked at one another, concern on their faces. Runo leaned forward and asked me, "Do you want Julie and I to take you to see your grandfather?" I nodded my head slowly, feeling like a little kid that might have broken their favorite toy and was being asked if a new one would make things better.

I understood why they wouldn't let me see him yesterday; I was completely out of it thanks to the shock of seeing what had happened to my grandfather. After sitting at the table for a few minutes so I could fully wake up, I retreated to my room and got changed into a clean set of clothes, while also combing out the knots in my hair.

When I felt presentable to the public, I left with Runo and Julie and we rushed to the doctor's office. Once there, we navigated our way to the infirmary, where I saw the other burn victims. My eyes scanned over the beds, but my grandfather was nowhere to be found.

The doctor from yesterday stepped out from a room in the back. He froze when he saw me, and his face turned grave. "Oh. It's you," he said, somewhat surprised. I took a steep forward and said, "My grandfather. Where is he?" Runo and Julie stood by my sides for support, but even they weren't enough for what I was about to hear.

The doctor told me, "He had some pretty severe burns. I'm sorry, but there wasn't much we could do for him. Medicine can only do so much." It took a moment for the blow of it all to hit me, and when it did, I dropped down to my knees and was choking on sobs.

Runo and Julie were trying to calm me down, but their efforts were pointless. I had lost my grandfather, and that was the only thing that I was able to focus on.

* * *

**beh. i had to force my way through writer's block on this one. i had absolutely NO ideas. -.-'' also, not to sound pushy, but i'm going to be closing the poll for the title of my upcoming zombie fic, so if anyone hasnt voted yet and wants to add your opinions, i suggest doing so before the end of september. because, and hopefully, on the first day of october, i'm going to start my zombie fic. so, please vote if you havent. i want EVERYONE'S opinion. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	27. December 1862: By Stones River

_Alice_

All around me, people gave me their condolences. They wished me well for this rough time that I was going through, but their words felt hollow. Did they know what kind of pain I was going through? Maybe some of them did, but not all of them.

Not every person that was sorry for my loss, could know what it was like to lose somebody that was as close to them as my grandfather was to me. But what other people had gone through wasn't important. I stood in the front foyer of the funeral home, dressed from head to toe in black like most of the people in attendence.

Whenever a person walked up to me, telling me how my grandfather was such a great man, I only put on a sad smile and nodded my head. From there, they went inside to pay their respects to the body in the casket. I had yet to bring myself to go in there and see him myself.

I was worried that I would lose it, like I had already done many times since the sudden accident that took him from me. My parents were outside, talking to people that they knew, and some that they didn't. They had looked pretty upset about the whole ordeal, which kind of surprised me.

At one point, I thought that my parents didn't care about my grandfather anymore, seeing as he kept defying them and their wishes. But I could see the sadness on their faces. My feet began to grow tired from standing, and I went over to a bench and sat down.

Nobody else had died from the fire, but a few had come close. Maybe it was a good thing that the freak accident hadn't taken anyone else's life, but I felt like I was the most unfortunate one in the town. Why did it have to be me? Yeah, I didn't want to wish this pain upon anyone, but I didn't understand why I had to suffer through it after going through so much more.

Julie and Runo stepped out of the funeral home, and I wondered how I hadn't noticed them go inside. They sat down next to me on the bench. Their condolences were the only ones that I truly took to heart, because I believed them.

They thought of my grandfather like family, and his death had hit them hard as well. Nowhere near as badly as it had hit me, but they didn't take it well. "Are you going to go see him, Alice?" Runo asked me in a hushed voice. I slowly nodded my head and told her, "Yeah, eventually. I'm just trying to prep myself, I guess."

Runo placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, and I smiled sadly at her. She had become somewhat good at comforting people and trying to cheer them up, and I was curious as to know when such a transformation had started in her. I sat on that bench until late afternoon.

By that time, most of the random strangers that came to pay their respects had left, leaving behind the close friends and family of the deceased. I took in a deep breath and left the bench, then stepped into the funeral home. Wreaths of flowers were set up along the walls.

A book filled with names of those who came to pay their respects, rested on a table, a pen placed gently beside it. Cautiously, I took the pen in my hand and signed my name, not sure if it matter if family placed their signatures in the book or not. Once I had signed the book, I stepped into the room that held my grandfather.

Surrounded by more wreaths and candles, was an open casket. I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat, and approached the coffin. My grandfather laid inside, looking as if he were asleep. The mortician had done a wonderful job on him, and if I hadn't known better, then I wouldn't have been able to tell if he was dead or not.

The burns and cuts on his face had been covered up with make-up, but all you could make out was the occasional raised scar. Tears began to form in my eyes, and I took in a shaky breath. It wouldn't be much longer before they buried him.

And once they did, then things would have to return to as close to normal as they could get. I stayed in the room for a couple of minutes before leaving out. Runo and Julie were waiting for me in the front foyer. "Are you alright?" Julie asked me gently. I took a deep breath to recompose myself so I wouldn't break down, and nodded my head. "Yeah. I think so," I told the two of them.

Right before the sky turned dark with dusk, about four people went to retrieve the coffin and carried it out towards the graveyard. My parents, Runo, Julie, Murucho, and I followed behind them, along with a few other people that had been really close to my grandfather.

When we reach the designated gravesite, they lowered the coffin into the hole and bgan to cover the wooden box up with the dirt that they had taken from the Earth. I looked over at my father, who seemed to be trying to hold back tears.

It was his father that was being buried, after all. Once everything was said and done, our small group returned back home. There wasn't much chatter, but more of an eerie silence that had fallen over the house. My father and mother were in the kitchen, going through letters from people that were sorry for our loss.

This would go on for several days, I just knew it. It started to get later into the night, and Runo, Julie, and Murucho said their goodbyes to me and my parents before heading off towards their own homes. Without saying a word to my parents, I retreated to my room. I slipped out of the black dress and into my nightgown, then laid down on my bed and heaved a heavy sigh. It had been a horrible day for me to live through, and I was happy that it was over with.

_Shun_

Around the camp, I could hear gunfire way off in the distance. It was faint, and sounded like thunder. But my bad weather theory was disproved when I couldn't spot a single cloud in the sky. Only was it a few hours later that I had overheard two soldiers talking, and found out that a battle was taking place nearby.

A sudden paranoia came over me. Would they call on any of us to attend this battle if things got bad? They had done it several times before, so it wasn't to be unexpected. General Grant must have seen that this kind of fear was starting to show on the faces of his soldiers, because he called us all together and told me, "I promise you that it is highly unlikely that any of you will be attending that battle. So, go on with your daily activities."

Relief flooded over most of the faces of the soldiers, but I still was somewhat on edge. What if this was Lee's army? That would mean Klaus was among their numbers. I had already had one run in with him, and if it hadn't been for Alice, then I would probably have been killed during that battle.

It then occurred to me that I had been saved several times during the war. The first time, was when Joe warned me about the cannonball that would have killed me, but only gave me minor injuries instead. The other time, had been because Alice distracted Klaus and gave me the chance to get the upper hand.

After listening to conversations around the camp, I found out where the battle was taking place, and what Generals were being pitted against one another. It was somewhere called Stones River, and was between the Confederate Major General Braxton Bragg, and the Union Major General William Rosecrans.

I hadn't heard of either of these individuals, so I assumed that it was a small battle taking place. It seemed strange though to have a battle taking place on the last day in December. Maybe it was strange because odds were, the battle would spill over into January, and next year.

But by nightfall, the fighting had ceased, although it probably wasn't over with. Around the camp, fires were set up and groups of soldiers were gathering in circles as they celebrated the coming of another year. I found myself smiling a little bit.

Even though these soldiers were away from their homes and in the middle of a war, they still celebrated the holidays when they were able to. I wondered if the soldiers on the Confederate side did the same thing, and was sure they did.

From what I was able to gather, they were no different from us; they were just fighting for what thought was right, like everyone else. While I was walking around the camp, I ran into Joe and Dan. The three of us walked around the camp, talking about different things.

Dan had his hands locked together behind his head when he asked, "So, what are you guys going to do after the war?" We kept walking past tents and campfires with celebrating soldiers. Joe told him, "I'm going straight back home to see Chan. What about you, Dan?"

Dan tapped his chin for a moment, as if pondering what he'd do. "Not sure. I've kind of gotten to like all of this moving around that we've been doing, so I might go and start traveling after the war. You know, keep changing the scenary. I don't even have to ask Shun what he's going to do. I already know."

I looked at Dan, confused as to what he was talking about. "What do you mean you know what I'm going to do?" I asked. A sly grin appeared on Dan's face when he said, "I bet you're going to go running back to that Alice girl." I felt my face heat up some, and I was thankful that the darkness of night hid my face.

"You have no reason or proof to even think that, Dan," I told him in a matter-of-fact tone. He rolled his eyes and said, "Uh-huh. Yeah, right. Don't you think he'll do what I just said, Joe?" Joe, who suddenly seemed caught off guard by Dan's question, stuttered out the words, "Uh, I don't know. He might."

It was obvious Joe hadn't been paying attention to what Dan was saying. Or he could have been and was just playing it neutral as to not cause a problem. Dan held his head up proudly and said with a smile, "Well, I'm a hundred percent positive that he will. I guess I just know him too well."

I rolled my eyes. Dan had a good prediction on his hands, but that wasn't what I was exactly planning on doing. All I was going to do after the war, was return home and try to fall back into a normal routine. It didn't matter if I did want to see Alice again. Somehow, I knew that after the war, things would still be tense between the North and South.

And if they were, then what would people from both sides think if they saw the two of us together. Maybe there would be a chance after things died down some, but not immediately after the war. I sighed, deciding not to think about the matter anymore.

Whatever was going to happen, would reveal itself in time. We kept walking, and I saw Jones up ahead. He was facing on of his friends, and all I could see was the profile of his face. Or, should I have said his nose. It was still swollen and bandaged up from where I had broken it about a month ago. I whispered to Joe and Dan, "Perhaps we should walk somewhere else."

I had been doing a good job to avoid Jones since that night, because I knew he'd want payback for our last fight that had been cut short. Especially since I damaged his face. Dan saw why I wanted to take another route, and nodded his head. The three of us slipped between two tents, and continued to walk along a new path through the camp.

* * *

**thank you hurricane Isaac for canceling school! XD -does happy dance- omg. i just did the math for this story, and if i dont skip any months and dont do the two part chapters like i do for battles or major events, then this story should end within 29 more chapters. that means, this will be a 56 chapter story. o.o the only other story i have that rivals this, is Dreams And Proclamations o.o so, nobody has to worry about it ending for a little while. odds are i might finish it up before october, and that would be great if i did. hopefully not too much comes up between then and now. also, remember that i am closing the polls at the end of septmeber. so vote if you havent! read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	28. January 1863: Southern Hospitality

_Klaus_

I would have done anything to put an end to the boredom that I was feeling. Nothing had been happening as of late, and I was eager for more of what the war could provide me. Because I knew, the more battles that I fought in, the closer I would get to face Shun once again.

It still angered me that he had eluded my grasp once, but I had no choice but to run. He would have possibly killed me if I hadn't, and what use would I have been if I was dead and unable to get my revenge? But when I thought about it, Shun didn't come off as the type that could bring himself to end a person's life, and I began to wonder if he had even killed anyone during this war.

It didn't matter if he had or not, because I was certain that I had taken more lives in the recent months than he had in an entire year. _How pathetic, _I thought to myself. What did Alice see in him? I could offer her so much more than he could.

My hand clenched into a fist at my side. It aggravated me that I could not figure out why she favored him over me. Compared to him, any woman would have considered themselves lucky to be with somebody of my standing, but no. She wanted that Yank over me. Deciding to stop my thoughts before they sent me into a raging rant, I took in a deep breath and walked over to Billy.

He was passing the time by sharpening the end of sticks into points. Wood shavings littered the ground around him, and more joined them with each stroke of the knife on the stick. He glanced up to me, and I thought I saw something that resembled a hint of annoyance.

"Yes?" he asked, bring his eyes back down to the current project in front of him. "I was wondering if you wanted to join me for a drink in town," I said to him, not really caring what his answer would be. It would just be nice to have some company to talk with.

Billy stopped sharpening the stick and said flatly, "I'll pass. Thanks for the offer though." He then went back to sharpening the piece of wood. I shrugged my shoulders and walked away from the long-haired man. It didn't matter to me that he didn't want to accompany me on the trip into town.

Our army stationed close to a town, so I didn't bother to take one of the Calvary horses; it wouldn't kill me to walk the distance. Nobody questioned why I was leaving, as if they'd care anyway. I had no worries about anyone in the camp trying to challenge me.

The reason for this was the fact that I was in high-standings with General Lee, along with being high-up in the social order. It was like I could not be touched. I walked into the town, fully dressed in my Confederate uniform. Unlike those blasted Yanks, I was fighting on my own home terf, and didn't have to fear the wrath of the Southerners when they saw my uniform.

In fact, they respected the gray jacket much more than the Union blue and gold. As I walked through the town in search of a place that sold drinks, I noticed that the townspeople looked somewhat distraught. Being that their problems weren't mine, I kept up my search for the bar.

I eventually found it and took a seat towards the back. A waitress in a long yellow dress approached my table and asked, "Can I get you anything, sir?" I leaned back in the seat and told her, "Just a whiskey for now." She nodded and walked off. My eyes began to scan the room.

There were a decent amount of people in attendance, but not enough to make the place feel crowded. The waitress then came back to my table and set down a glass of whiskey. In turn, I handed her the payment for the drink, and she went on her way.

I sipped on the room-temperature liquid, and noticed that I was being stared at from across the room. At a table, there was a group of young ladies looking at me. They appeared to be whispering to one another, most likely about me since they never once took their gazes from me.

Suddenly, I felt like a museum specimen, being looked at and critized. Two of the girls got up and made their way across the room, only to halt at the table I was sitting at. "May I help you two," I asked in a neutral tone. One with shoulder-length auburn hair smiled wryly and said, "I never thought I live to see the day that a Von Hertzon joined the army. Right, Jewls?"

She turned to her friend, who had wavy greenish hair that was about the same length as hers. "I agree, Jenny. I always thought the Von Hertzons stayed out of conflicts." I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant in front of the two. "Does it really matter, ladies?" I asked before taking another sip of my drink.

The two joined me at the table, where they proceeded to talk to one another about how surprising it was to see a Von Hertzon in military issued clothing. I knew it was only a matter of time before somebody brought my family's past up. Since my ancestors migrated over from Germany to the states, they had refused to join in any war that the country had seen.

And once our name became well known in the South, and even some in the North, not very much was kept secret. Jenny leaned forward across the table, chin resting in the palms of her hands, and she asked, "So, rumors are going around that the great Klaus Von Hertzon lost his little fiancee. Are they true?"

I felt myself become apprehensive. It was still a touchy subject for me, despite the fact that I acted like it was no big deal in the camp. "I don't think that's any of your concern," I told Jenny and swished around the liquid in the glass.

A tiny drop flew out of the glass and landed on the wood table, but nobody bothered to wipe it up. "So, in other words, the rumors are true," Jewls said with a smug smile. This was humiliating. The news of my recent falling out with Alice, had spread this far, and I hated to know how much further it may have gone.

The two girls began to bombard me with questions like, _"Was it you that wanted to end the engagement? Was it her? Did you do something wrong?" _and so on. When I could no longer stand to even hear their high-pitched voices, I stood up from the table and slammed my hands down on the wooden surface.

"Enough!" I shouted. The bar fell quiet, and eyes turned to look at the source of the sudden outburst. I narrowed my eyes at the two girls that had now fallen silent, and told them, "I suggest you leave this table. Now." They exchanged a look at each other, then left as I had requested.

They began to mumble things back and forth to each other, and I had a feeling that more stories and rumors about me were about to be spread around because of this. These people here could make up and say whatever they wanted about me. Good words and reputations didn't matter to me anymore.

All that did matter, was that I made it through this war and take care of the reason that I had joined in the first place; to get back at that Yank that had caused me so much trouble. I calmly sat back down in my chair, and lifted the now empty glass. "Waitress," I said. "Another round, please."

_Shun_

Around the camp, I noticed that the mood of the soldiers seemed to be lighter than normal. Even Grant, who was normally a very stern and rock-solid individual, seemed to be in good spirits. Later, when I found Joe and Dan, I went ahead and asked them if anyone knew why everyone was like this.

Joe quickly spoke up and said, "The Emancipation Proclamation." I stared at him, completely confused as to what he was talking about. Dan waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "You hardly contact anyone back home, so of course you haven't heard about it. Joe, why don't you explain it since you know so much about it?"

I glanced at Dan before Joe started to speak. Just because I didn't contact my grandfather or anyone else, didn't mean that I had be left in the dark. One of these two could have just as easily told me what was going on.

Joe cleared his throat and told me, "Lincoln passed this thing called the Emancipation Proclamation a while back. It stated that any Southern state that did not reunite with the Union, would have slavery banned. Well, none of the Confederate states returned to the Union, and now the slaves there are freed. In fact, there has been some talk of the slaves banding together and creating uprisings against their former masters."

I was truly surprised by this news, and also somewhat annoyed that Dan and Joe had kept this little bit of news from me. But, I decided not to take it personally. I now knew why the camp was in good spirits. With the freedom of the slaves, the South would suffer from it.

Although it was clear that it wouldn't be an immediate change, every slave that got away would help benefit the North by crippling the Southern economy and such. Dan then draped his arms over mine and Joe's shoulders and said, "Things seem to be looking up for us, guys. Maybe we'll finally end this war and get to go home soon." The promise of the war coming to an end, felt like a guilty pleasure.

_Alice_

I was outside, walking around in the cool, winter air. The sky was a shade of gray that could only be achieved by the dropping temperatures of January. The days since my grandfather's passing had felt gloomy, and the weather kept seeming as if it were reflecting the emotions that I had going on inside.

But that day's atmosphere, felt much different than the others. Yeah, it held an ominous grip in the air, but it wasn't because I was still grieving. It felt like the world was suffering at that moment, as strange as it may sound. Something was off, but I didn't know what.

A change was in the wind, although I could no see it. Curiousity stirred inside of me, and I wanted to know what was going on in the world around me. And just as if my wishes had been answered, Murucho's carriage came rolling up to my house. I saw Kato halt the horses, and Murucho jumped out.

"Alice, I need your help," he said in an urgent tone. Worry and concern began to build up. What was wrong? Was somebody hurt, or was Murucho in trouble? Before I could even ask what was going on, Murucho cut me off. "I'll explain everything on the way back to my place. Now, if you're going to help me, please get in the carriage."

I nodded and quickly joined him in the cab of the carriage. The wheels started to move, and the trees outside of the window were going by us. Murucho ran a hand through his blonde hair when he told me, "Thank you so much for helping me, Alice. I didn't know who else to turn to."

I placed my hands in my lap and said to him, "You're welcome, Murucho. But might I ask what it is you need help with?" His eyes widened and his face flushed with embarrassment, as if he just realized that he never informed me as to what I had to help him with.

"I'm sorry. It was rude for me not to tell you back there, but I had to get moving. You see, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation kicked in at the start of this year." I listened intently. A while back, I heard somebody mention this Proclamation, but I never found out what it did.

Murucho continued. "Well, now the slaves in the South are supposed to be free, but my parents refuse to let them go. I need you to help me get them somewhere safe since I know that you're just as against slavery as I am." I found it kind of brave that Murucho was doing this, but I knew what kind of things would happen to him if anyone found out that he was about to help ex-slaves escape.

The worst case scenario for his punishment, could be that he would end up being killed. So, I made it my goal to make sure that nothing bad happened to my dear friend. The carriage halted in front of Murucho's mansion. He whispered to me, "We're going to wait till nightfall to start moving the slaves out. For right now, you're here just to visit me and my parents."

I nodded to show him that I was fully understanding his plans. We stepped out of the carriage and climbed up the steps to his house. Once we stepped inside, we were greeted by Murucho's parents. His mother walked over to me, her eyebrows raised.

"Murucho, what's Alice doing here? I didn't know that we were to be expecting her company." I felt myself starting to grow nervous, and thankfully Murucho quickly stepped in. He told his mother, "I didn't tell you that Alice was coming over today? Guess it slipped my mind. I'm sorry."

His mother smiled and told him, "It's quite alright, Murucho. So, Alice, will you be staying for dinner?" Unsure as to what to say, I glanced down to Murucho for an answer. He nodded his head, and I quickly told his mother, "I suppose so." She nodded, and retreated to another room.

Her husband followed shortly after. Nightfall rolled around while everyone was gathered for dinner. I saw that Murucho looked very anxious in his seat as everyone else at calmly. Murucho's father suddenly asked me, "Are you staying the night, Alice?"

Once again, I looked to Murucho for an answer. Instead of shaking or nodding his head, he spoke for me. "No, father. Alice isn't able to stay over tonight. I was going to have Kato take her back home after we all finished eating." I was surprised by how convincing Murucho was during all this.

Although, his eyes showed all of the nerves and anxiety that was built up inside of him. Within the hour, both of his parents were done eating, and servants began to go around and pick up the clean plates. Murucho told them, "I'll go and tell Kato to bring the carriage around. Alice, how about you stand outside and wait for him? You know he can't see that well at night."

By his tone, I realized that this was a signal for me to get ready for the real reason that I was over at his house. I nodded and stepped outside of the mansion. Shortly after, Murucho joined me. He carried with him, two cloaks that were black as night.

He handed me one and said, "To keep us hidden in case somebody is out tonight." I took the cloak and put it on. Then, I was reminded of the first time that I snuck out to the Union camp. I had been wearing a cloak like this one. With the reminiscing of that night, I felt a pang in my chest, and a hollowness in my stomach.

How was Shun? It had been months since I left the camp and returned back home. Murucho snapped his fingers together in front of me, tearing me away from my thoughts. "Alice! Focus!" he snapped. I apologized for zoning out, and followed Murucho out to the fields.

They were quiet; the only noise coming from the nocturnal bugs that inhabited the area. I followed Murucho out to a ramshackle shed that I hadn't ever noticed before; probably because it was so far out in the field. He took out a skeleton key and unlocked a padlock from the door.

It swung out, revealing the people inside. There had to be about twenty people crammed into the small shed. When they saw Murucho, smiles crossed their faces. "Master I Murucho," one of them said, sounding extremely grateful. I knew Murucho had done as much as he could for these people without getting in trouble, so I didn't doubt it if these slaves looked to him for help and safety.

"Come on. You guys are getting out of here tonigh. I know a safe place for all of you," the short blonde whispered to them. The slaves left the shed. Now, we were running across the fields and into the woods; the same woods that I ran through a while back.

We had put considerable distance between Murucho's mansion and us, when a little girl veered away from the group. I did the same and chased after her. She was crying and shaking. Gently, I grabbed her shoulders and told her, "You have to stay with the others. I know you're scared, but you have to be brave now."

She nodded, and quickly chased after the fleeing group of people. I was about to do the same, when I tripped and feel forward. I heard something rattling, and looked around to see that I had triggered a homemade trap. Dogs began to bark, and I started to frantically try and free myself.

The source of the rattling, was tin cans that were strung on the trip-line. I finally unwrapped the thin wire from my ankle, but right when I was about to run, I heard the distinct clicking of a gun being cocked. Slowly, I turned around and saw a man pointing a rifle at me.

_Alice_

Sunlight hit my eyes through the bars of my jail cell. Late last night, I was caught by a man, who was nice enough to turn me into the cops for trespassing rather than shooting me. Thankfully, nobody knew why I was trespassing on that man's land. _I should consider myself lucky. _

As for Murucho, I didn't know if he had made it to the so-called safe place for the slaves. He probably had, but there was a chance that also hadn't. The sheriff was sitting at his desk, his feet propped up and chair tilted back on the rear legs.

He glanced at me and said, "You know, Miss Gehabich, you've been a lot more trouble than you're worth as of late. Hell, a couple of months ago I had the whole town looking for you, and now this." He kept babbling on, and I only shook my head and rolled my eyes. I laid back down on the wooden 'bed' that was in cell.

Splinters dug into my exposed arms and neck, making this place all the more uncomfortable. Right when I was ready to scream, the front door of the jail opened, and Murucho walked in. The sheriff saw him and sat up correctly in his chair. "Hello, Mister Marakura. How may I help you?"

Murucho turned his attention to me and said, "I'm here to get her out of there. How much will the bail cost?" The sheriff looked dumbfounded by the short blonde's sudden request, but he went ahead and told Murucho the cost of my bail; fifty dollars. He handed the money over, and the sheriff unlocked my cell.

"Have a nice day, Mister Marakura," he told us as we stepped out of the jailhouse. "Are you ok, Alice?" my friend asked me. I nodded. "I should be asking you the same thing. Did you get them to that place you were talking about?"

I didn't want to blurt out what we had been doing last night, seeing as there were people all around us. Murucho nodded and told me, "Yeah. I got them there safely. And as for my parents, I made it look like they broke free. Alice, I'm so sorry that I got you arrested."

I smiled and let out a giggle, which confused Murucho. "It's ok, Murucho," I said through my smile. "I was in need of a little adventure to cheer me up. Thank you." Murucho smiled and opened the door to the carriage, then told Kato to take me home.

* * *

**sorry for not uploading the past few days. i went somewhere thursday, had a game friday, and had to paint my room yesterday. but i was able to upload today, so i say that's pretty good. check out the poll on my profile before i close it and read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	29. February 1863: A Traitor Among Us

_Alice_

My parents weren't all that thrilled when word reached them that I had been thrown in jail. Thankfully, they, like everyone else in the town, thought I had been arrested just for trespassing. I hated to know how they would react if they ever discovered that I helped Murucho sneak newly freed slaves out of his parent's estate.

Overall, things had gone fairly well, minus the jail part. Murucho got the slaves to safety, and nobody was the wiser to him. But thanks to the little jail incident, my parents were keeping somewhat of a closer eye on me. Perhaps it was to make sure I wasn't casuing anymore 'trouble' as the sheriff had put it.

But on this particular day, they appeared to be a little bit lenient on watching me. For the first time since Murucho bailed me out, I didn't feel like I had buzzards hovering over me. Taking full advantage of this moment of freedom, I slipped out of the house and began to walk towards town in order to get some fresh air.

Hopefully, my parents wouldn't get worked up because I left without telling them I was. It wasn't like they paid that much attention to me beforehand, so why start now? Maybe people in the town were looking at them differently now. The townspeople might have been saying that my parents were doing a horrible job at raising me, making me an unruly child.

They weren't doing a horrible job at raising me, because they never really did. My grandfather taught me right from wrong, and made me into the person that I was. But was that a good thing? Was I a good person? I saw myself as one, but seeing as how things were now, I was starting to wonder.

I had gone into the war, helped smuggle slaves off of Murucho's estate, and defied my parent's wishes on who to marry. I could why some people might think that I wasn't a proper lady. But why couldn't at least some of the people see it from my point of view? So what if I didn't want to conform to the rules that had built the South into what it was now?

Was it so wrong for me to have my own opinion? _Apparently so, _I thought to myself. I didn't realize that I had walked into the town until I heard the pounding of hammers. I looked up, and saw about ten people working on a building.

The general store, to be more exact. About two months ago, it had burned down, taking my grandfather along with it. It now held a bad memory in it, which it didn't hold that many good ones in it from the start. I saw Julio up on a wooden ladder, hammering nails into the new framework of the building.

The entire project would probably end in a couple of months; one month if they worked into the night. Julio wiped a sweat from his forehead, and caught sight of me standing below. He waved at me, and I waved back. His arm was still in a sling from where it was damaged in the fire.

But even with an injury, he was working away. I then occurred to me that Julie had most likely informed Billy about what had happened over the past few months, and I wondered how he'd react to knowing that the store burned down and my grandfather passed away.

He might tell Julie to give me his condolensces, or to let me know that I was in his prayers. That seemed like what Billy would do. I then began to think about what Klaus would have done. He probably would have cared less that the store burned down, and knowing how much he hated me now, he probably would have felt the same way about my grandfather dying.

But Klaus couldn't possibly be that cold-hearted, right? He still had to feel sympathy. He was a human, after all. It was only human nature to feel bad for somebody who had lost a loved one. I then began to wonder what Shun would have done if he knew about the recent tragedies to befall this town.

How would he react to hearing that the store burned down? Yeah, he wasn't from here, and had never been to that store in his life. But it was the place where we had first met, even though it was only for a short moment.

Plus, he didn't know my grandfather, but I could predict that he would have probably told me how sorry he was and wished me well. I smiled. Where was he now? Had he moved along with the army and been in more battles? Probably. I highly doubted that he was still in that same camp. I sighed and continued my walk around town.

_Shun_

I looked up at the sky, taking in the vastness of it all. It was a light blue, dotted with clouds here and there, and I thought that it had to be the most beautiful sky I had seen since the war had started. Maybe it was a sign that was saying that things really were looking up for us.

Although I wasn't sure about that, I was certain about this; while in the South, I had seen some of the most beautiful skies and scenaries. Back home looked dull and lifeless compared to the vibrant colors that were displayed in the spring and fall.

Even the winters were peaceful, despite the fact that no snow fell here. If it weren't for the war tearing apart the nation, then I might have considered living down here afterwards. But there was no hope for me here once the war ended.

The hatred for the North was already burned deep within the Souths roots, and the odds of the bad blood going away within a couple of years, were slim. It would take a long time before the bitterness died down, and I would probably be long gone by that time.

I found it ironic that despite all the fighting taking place between the North and South, that things would still remain separated afterwards. The North would remain to the North, and vice versa to the South. "Hey, Shun," a voice said from behind me.

I sat up, brushing the grass off of my back from where I had been laying on the side of a hill and looking up at the sky. When I turned around, I saw Dan walking towards me. Several times he almost slipped and fell down the steep slope, but never fell. "What's up?" I asked him.

Dan centered his balance on the slope of the hill and told me, "One of the Calvary horses has gone missing, and Grant wants me to find it. I could really use some extra help in searching for that thing." He then pointed to the top of the hill, and I saw Joe standing there, obviously distracted by something.

Dan added, "I have Joe helping me look as well." Joe then heard his name brought up, and he turned back towards us and smiled. I stood up and told Dan, "Alright, I'll help you find the horse." As we walked around the woods that surrounded the camp, I asked Dan, "Why did Grant want _you _to look for this horse?"

I found it strange that somebody actually depended on Dan to do something. But then again, Grant didn't know Dan as well as I did. He shrugged his shoulders and told me, "I don't know. Guess I was the first Calvary soldier he saw and picked me to go hunt for the horse."

That had to be the reason. Nobody in their right mind would have put any faith in Dan. The three of us spread out in the forest, searching for any sign of which was the missing Calvary horse may have gone. _Maybe somebody took the horse, _I thought to myself.

Somebody could have done like I had a while back and took the horse as a means of transportation. But there was no reason to take a horse, seeing that the closest town to us was within a reasonable walking distance. Somewhere behind me, I heard Dan shouting.

Thinking that he may have found the horse, I walked towards the location of his voice, and was surprised by what I had found. Dan was sitting on the ground, fighting with a hunting snare that had tightened around his ankle. Lucky for him, it was nothing but a metal wire used to catch small game.

I knelt beside him and said with a smile, "Looks like somebody forgot where they placed their snare." Dan growled and told me, "Wipe that smug smile off your face and help me out of this thing." I chuckled and proceeded to try and help free him.

I wasn't unable to undo the trap with my hands, and started to reach for my knife. "Looks like I left my knife back at the camp," I said when I realized that it was nowhere on my person. Joe walked out from behind a tree, and stared at the scene before him.

For a moment, I thought I saw him crack a faint smile, but quickly recomposed himself. "What happened," he asked. Dan shut his eyes and said, "What's it look like?" Shaking my head, I turned to Joe and asked, "Do you have your knife on you? I seemed to have left mine back at camp."

Joe removed the knife from his belt loop and handed it over to me. In return, I thanked him and cut through the metal wire. "Now, see? That didn't take very long," I told Dan, unable to hide the sly grin that had formed on my lips.

Dan glared at me and said, "Shut it. Let's just find that horse and get back to camp." He stood up, brushing the dead leaves from his uniform. Just as we were about to continue the search for the horse, I noticed Grant walking towards us from the camp.

"Ah, there you are, Kuso. Don't worry about finding the horse. A soldier said they saw somebody leave on the missing horse. You all can go back to the camp." Grant then turned around and went back towards the camp. Dan crossed his arms over his chest and said, "So, I got caught in a trap for nothing."

I chuckled and told him, "Oh well. You win some and lose some." Dan shot me a glare. The three of us started to leave the forest when Joe said, "I wonder who took the horse though." Dan shrugged and told him, "There's no telling."

When we returned back to the camp, Grant seemed to be arguing with somebody. Curious as to know what was going on, I asked a soldier if they knew what the big deal was. He told me, "Grant just found out that Jones was the one who took the horse, and that he left the Union to join the Confederate army."

I turned back to the scene. Grant had stopped shouting at the soldier that had apparently informed Grant about Jones' betrayal. The General then stomped off towards his tent, and the soldier he had been shouting at, ran off in the opposite direction. I stood there, a slight grin forming. "Looks like I don't have to worry about Jones anymore," I mused to myself.

_Klaus_

There was a soldier that appeared in the camp late one night. He was on horseback, wearing a Union uniform, and looked as if he had been traveling for sometime. General Lee was told about the traveler. The General met him at the edge of the camp, and an audience of curious soldiers began to gather around.

I noticed that the man on horseback, was wearing Union gold and blue. "He's a Yankee," I said outloud. The Yank heard what I said and retorted with, "I used to be, but no more. I'm tired of fighting on the side of the North. Bunch of arrogant fools if you ask me."

His words rang true. I didn't feel as if he were trying to sneak into the Confederacy to sabbotage our army. "What's your name?" Lee asked the man. The ex-Yankee removed his Union issued hat and told us, "Jones." Lee scratched his chin and told Jones, "Alright, you are more than welcome to stay the night here and rest. Come morning, we'll figure out what to do with you."

Jones thanked Lee for his hospitality and commanded the horse to go into the camp. Later, I found the tent that Jones was staying in. I peered into the tent and asked, "Mind if I come in? I just want to ask you a few things." Jones glanced at me and shrugged.

"I don't care. Make yourself at home." There was nobody else in the tent, since it had just been set up for him. I asked him, "Whose command did you leave from?" Jones raised a brow and told me, "Grant's. Why?" My eyes widened when the Union General's name was said.

I asked, "Did you happen by chance know of a Shun in the camp?" If this guy knew anything about Shun, then perhaps he might tell me. Jones said, "Black hair? Kind of looks arrogant?" I nodded, thinking that his short discription had fit the bill.

Jones added, "Yeah, I know him. He and I got into several fights while in the camp. Most of them were over that blasted red-head. Don't know why in the world he's so defensive over the little wench." He couldn't have been talking about Alice, could he?

Why in the world would have Alice been near that camp in the first place? Jones asked me, "Anymore questions?" I snapped out of my thoughts and told him, "No. Thank you for your time." I then slipped out of the tent.

* * *

**well, i did it. two chapters in a day. -falls over- read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	30. May 1863: That Splinter In My Side

_Shun_

Dan took off his hand and ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair. "Why does it get this hot so early in the morning?" he asked and wiped the sweat from his hands. Summer was sneaking up on the camp, and soon, we would all feel the wrath of the hot weather once more.

Joe said sheepishly, "Well, Dan, we are still in the South." Somehow I felt that Joe knew that Dan's question wasn't meant to be answered, but he must have felt an obligation to say something. Dan shot Joe a curt look, causing the shaggy-blonde to turn away and mutter an apology.

I caught a glimpse of Grant speaking with one of his higher-ranking soldiers. Our General held a letter in his hands, and shook his head. "Wonder what's going on this time," I said aloud. Dan and Joe turned and saw what I was talking about.

"No clue," Dan said while waving his hand in front of his face in order to cool himself down. Even from the distance I was at, I could see that Grant appeared to be stressed; which, wasn't anything new. Anyone that had taken on the job and responsibilties that he had, would have probably looked the same way.

Grant shook his head once more, handed the letter back to the soldier, and same something to him. The soldier saluted the General and turned on his heels before he walked off. I wanted to know what was going on, but I doubted that Grant would have told anyone the contents of the letter.

So, I would have to settle for not knowing. Dan laid down on his head and shielded his eyes from the sun with his arm. "I feel like I'm going to die," he said. Joe and I exchanged a look at each other, and I chuckled. Dan glanced up at me and asked, "What's so funny?"

I grinned, closed my eyes, and shook my head. "You're such a drama queen at times." Joe snickered, and when Dan shot him a glare, he proceeded to act as though he had done nothing. I leaned my back against one of the poles that held up a tent and closed my eyes.

Joe was sitting on the ground across from me, propping himself up with his hands. Dan was still laid out on the ground and over exaggerating the extent of the heat. But overall, it was somewhat calm. The common misconception of war, was fighting at all times of the day, but things were fairly calm since the war started.

In fact, some soldiers had only been in one battle since this whole thing started. _Who would have thought that war could be peaceful? _A soldier approached the tent that the three of us were sitting in front of. When I opened my eyes to look at him, I saw that it was oily-haired lackey that used to hang around Jones all the time; that was before Jones betrayed his own army, among other things.

I wasn't complaining about it though. It was nice to be able to walk around the camp without running into that fool. But since Jones left, his gang seemed to be lost as of late. They acted like they didn't know what to do anymore, as if they had no purpose.

I found it strange that one's purpose was to cause trouble to others, but everyone had their own forte, right? The oily-haired soldier stood there and said, "Some of the others need some help moving around the ammunition crates, and we could really use a few extra sets of hands."

The three of us glanced at one another, then back at him. "Fine," I said with a sigh. "I'll help out. What about you two?" Dan shook his head and said, "It's too hot. I think I'll stay here in the shade. You're more than welcome to go and do some manual labor, Shun."

I rolled my eyes and turned to Joe. "What about you?" I asked. He shrugged and told me, "I guess I could try and help move a few crates." The oily-haired man nodded and said, "Follow me then." Joe and I got up, leaving Dan behind us so he could he lay in the shade, rather than helping us out.

As we walked towards the ammunition tent, Joe and I finally found out what the oily-haired man's name. He told us it was Mathis, and apologized for never giving proper introduction. I stared at this man, completely dumbfounded in his sudden change in personality.

Not long ago, he had been trying to harm Alice, and looked to be like one of the sleeziest people you'd ever meet. Now, he acted as if he were civilized. Maybe Jones leaving was better for the camp than I could have ever thought. Joe and I stopped walking when we reached the ammunition tent.

Soldiers were passing crates down from the tent like a well-oiled machine. The wooden boxes passed from person to person, and stopped way down the line in a large pile of neatly stacked crates. Joe asked, "So, why is everything being moved?"

Mathis crossed his arms over his chest and told us, "Somebody said that Grant wanted an inventory check. Another told me that he was planning on sending some of the extra ammo over to Joseph Hooker's army since they're in the middle of a battle and need it. I don't know which is the real reason, and I see no point in asking the General. So, start helping us move crates."

Joe and I exchanged a quick look at each other, then followed Mathis over to the tent. He passed a crate to me, and in turn, I passed it down to Joe. "These are a lot heavier than I thought they were," Joe said when placing the crate down.

They were somewhat heavy, but Joe had hardly any upper body strength, so I had a feeling that they weighed a lot more to him than they did to me. As we continued to pass down crates, I said to Mathis, "You mentioned something about there being another battle taking place now?"

He nodded and handed me another crate of ammo. "Yeah. It's somewhere near Chancellorsville up in Virginia. Grant got a letter about it sometime today. The two armies have been fighting for almost ten days straight now. Ha-ha. Guess we should see ourselves as lucky. Because I know I sure wouldn't want to be in that mess."

I now knew what the contents were of that letter that Grant received earlier. But a battle that had been going on for ten days? After becoming accustomed to two or three day long battles, ten days sounded like it would feel like ages before an end came.

"Is there any word on who's winning so far?" I asked. Joe was standing behind me, listening intently as Mathis began to speak. "The word is that the Confederacy is kicking Hooker into the ground. That's all I know," he told us. I passed one of the last crates to Joe.

He was about to take it, but the wooden box slipped through his hands and broke apart on the ground. He stepped back and began to apologize. "Oh, I'm sorry. My hands just couldn't hold another one." He held out his hands, which were red and covered with splinters.

Musket balls of all sizes were scattered around on the ground and mixed in with the broken crate. "It's alright, Joe," I told him. Mathis was able to get another crate as it passed by, and he began to fill it with the spilled ammo. Joe was sitting on the ground, picking the splinters from his palms.

As Mathis got the last of the ammunition into the new crate, he said to Joe, "You aren't very tough, are you?" Joe looked up at him, then down at his raw hands. Mathis chuckled and asked, "How have you made it this far into the war, kid?"

Joe stood up up and told him, "Luck and some really good people that look out for me." Mathis chuckled again and picked up the crate. As he began to carry it off, he said, "We'll see how much farther that will get ya. Thanks for the help, though."

At the pile of crates, Grant was counting the boxes. He shouted, "Alright! This is enough! Get them to the train station and have them shipped off to Hooker and his army!" Joe rubbed his hands together and said under his breath, "I think I see why Jones and Mathis were 'friends.'"

I nodded and told Joe, "Yeah. I see what you mean." Jones and Mathis, both had that arrogant quality about them that made them easy to hate. Now that our work was done, Joe and I left the ammunition tent and went back to where we had left Dan.

_Klaus_

I was hunkered down in a ditch, trying my best to reload my gun as quickly as I could. This battle had stretched out for almost over a week now, but it felt much longer; it had even gone into the night a couple of times. A Union soldier jumped down into the ditch with me, and shouted as he tried to stab me with the bayonet that was fixed at the end of his rifle.

It missed my throat, and stuck into the dirt beside me. The soldier's eyes were wide with fear and panic; it was possible that he no longer knew what he was doing. I snapped back into focus and resumed to try and reload a musket ball into the rifle.

By this time, the soldier had freed his bayonet and was about to strike again, but a bullet hit him in his side, sending a steady flow of blood coming out of his blue and gold jacket. The soldier stood there for a moment, before finally collapsing onto the ground.

I backed up and began to look around. My eyes then found Jones lowering a rifle, the end of the barrel smoking hot. A couple of months ago, our General decided to accept the ex-Union soldier into our camp, and now, I felt like it had been a good choice.

That Yankee soldier could have just killed me if it hadn't been for Jones' accuracy. The shelling became less frequent, which could have only meant the the Union's ammunition supplies were starting to run low. A smile crossed my face as I felt another victory coming our way.

I stayed low in the ditch as I finally got a round loaded into the rifle. Cautiously, I peered out of the ditch and aimed at a man in a blue and gold uniform. When I fired, smoke and spark exploded from the barrel, and the soldier fell over shortly after.

I slipped back into the ditch and started to load another round. I stopped when a think, red liquid dripped on my hand from somewhere above. When I looked up, I saw that Jones had stabbed a Union soldier with his bayonet, and the body had collapsed right at the mouth of the ditch.

He pulled the bayonet out of the solider's back. He then ran off towards the thick of the battle. I sat there and stared up at the limp body for a moment before jumping back into the battle. After another day, Hooker's army surrendered and began to retreat.

The eleven day battle finally came to an end, leaving behind more casualities than a normal two day battle. But the death toll didn't matter as much as the fact that we had won yet another battle. Even though the Union had a few more up on us, we had greatly damaged their numbers.

I caught sight of Jones as he walked around the battlefield, picking up dead soldiers. He didn't look the least bit bothered by the fact that he had killed people from the army he had once been loyal to. Perhaps, that was a good thing.

* * *

**well, i was close when i said that i would be working on this chapter till 2 in the afternoon (that was at about 12). it wouldnt have been so difficult if i werent tired and had other things. on my mind. but do vote on my poll if you havent done so already (it will be closed at the end of the month). so, if you want your opinion heard, vote. if not, then don't whine at me if a title is chosen that you don't like. i'm doing what the majority wants. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~**


	31. July 1863: Vicksburg and Gettysburg

_Shun_

Our soldiers looked as if they were about to collapse onto the ground that they stood on. Towards the end of last month, May, Grant had suddenly made an announcement and shipped us down to the state below us; Mississippi. From there on, it seemed like a nonstop assaults and fighting.

This sudden move from our camp to here, had not been announced and struck us with no warning; most of us didn't even have enough time to grab anything else but our assigned rifles. But during this barrage of fighting, our army had weakened that of our oppenents, which was Lieutenant Major John Pemberton. During the end of May, Grant had us pushing Pemberton's army further and further up North.

In this process of this, our General had captured the cities of Port Gibson, Raymond, and even the state's capital of Jackson. For most of us, it felt like Grant would have conquered all of the state before Pemberton gave up. At the moment, our army had stopped making advancements on the Confederate army, and we were using this chance to take a much needed break.

I caught sight of a few soldiers collapsing and passing out from the combination of the heat and exhaustion. I found it ironic, that before we were sent down here to Mississippi, all the talk around the camp was about the battle taking place between General Lee and one of our other Major Generals.

In fact, Grant had been sending supplies to Joseph Hooker's army. But despite all the help we had tried to give them, the Confederates had beaten Hooker. Now the word was, that Lee was in another battle at Gettysburg.

What the word was about that battle, none of us knew, and we probably wouldn't know until long after the fighting was over with. I found it somewhat overwhelming with all of these battles taking place at about the same time, or consecutively after each other.

Would the rest of this war be like this? Was the was _finally _turning into a war? If it was, then all of the other losses that we had suffered from, had been for nothing? Unable to stand the intense heat any longer, I started to unbutton my jacket and hung it over the branch of a tree.

It, along with me, was soaked with sweat. I leaned against the trunk of the tree, and finally allowed myself to take in a deep breath. I recalled how I thought that Lee's battle at Chancellorsville had been a long battle; lasting about ten or so days. But this was pure insanity. We had been on this march and assault on Pemberton's army since May, and it was now July.

This whole stretch of time couldn't even be called a battle anymore. In fact, most of the soldiers around the camp were calling it the neverending battle. I was starting to agree with them on that adequately named title. Somebody walked up to me, and when I looked up, I saw it was Joe.

He was holding two metal cups filled with water. "They were passing some out and I got two. Want one?" he asked, offering me the cup. I didn't hesitate to take the water, and began to gulp it down. I had been thirstier than I thought, but I didn't care now that I had something to drink.

Wiping a drop of water from my mouth, I told Joe, "Thanks. I really needed that." Joe smiled and said, "No problem. You know, half of the soldiers here have passed out from dehydration. I don't think you wanted to join them, do ya?" I shook my head.

I knew at the moment, those that had been dehydrated to the point of passing out, were being treated by our field medic. The last thing that I wanted, was to be suffering and waiting for that one doctor to finally get around to treat me and give me water; it just wasn't worth the chance and wait.

Approaching the two of us, I heard the sound of horse hooves trotting along the dry ground. When we looked over, we saw Dan making his way towards. He halted the Calvary horse that he was still on and said breathlessly, "Grant's going to kill us if he keeps this up."

Dan then slid off of the saddle and slipped out of his sweat-soaked jacket. It was quite obvious that Dan didn't handle hot weather all that well, and what was going on now, was no exception.

Joe tapped his finger on the side of his empty metal cup and said, "Well, the good news is that Permberton has holed up in Vicksburg, and it's pretty clear that we've put a major dent in their supplies."

A major dent may have been an understatement. I recalled during their last retreat, they didn't even so much as fire at us while they ran, which could only mean that ammunition was precious to them at this moment.

_Klaus_

General Lee was continuing his advancement up North, which he had been at since his victory at Chancellorsville. Perhaps it was the morale that made him feel like he could make it to his goal of Philidelphia. His whole plan, was to get up there and through the war-ravaged Northern Virginia, and to try and convince the Northern politicians to give up on the war.

Things had been going well so far though; we met little defense on the way up. At the time, our army was resting near a small river, and water was being passed around to keep soldiers from becoming dehydrated. Word around the army, was the Grant was locked in battle as well, but was winning and had captured three major cities in Mississippi.

_Doesn't surprise me. Pemberton was never really that good of a Major._ I looked out at the soldiers that were sitting down and trying their best to cool off. Jones caught my eye as he strode past the soldiers, and they moved out of his way.

It was safe to say that after Chancellorsville, Jones was a very fierce fighter, but most of our soldiers still weren't sure about him. Could we really trust such a brute? Lee was still sitting on his horse, a letter in his hands. He then folded the paper and shouted, "Get up! We have trouble coming our way!"

A chorus of groans emerged from the tired soldiers, but they did as Lee told them and got up. We continued on our march, hoping that we would put some distance between us and whatever army was challenging our strengths now. Our army then reached Gettysburg.

Lee looked around and shouted, "Get ready. We'll meet the Union army when they come this way." Soldiers set up in ditches and anywhere else they could possibly get cover at. Lee was further down in the same ditch as me, and I saw the determination in his eyes; he was planning on destroying this wave of Union troops.

I sat there, rifle fully loaded, and waited. Whose army was this that we were going up against? Was it Grant's? That revenge-seeking part of me was praying that it was, because I wanted nothing more than to get my hands on that Yankee that had taken everything from me.

That had been the only reason I entered into this war in the first place; in hopes that I would run across him on a battlefield and kill him without suffering any consequences. I peered by over the ditch and saw across the future battlefield, that the Union army was setting up in their positions.

Now, we just had to wait for Lee to give us the order to attack. We then heard the bugle sound, and the Calvary was the first to take off, as per usual. The Union responded the same way, and our battle had started. Smoke already covered the battlefield from gun and cannon fire.

I looked around, and saw Lee was giving orders to flank the Union lines. The soldiers followed his command, and two large division split off and flanked the North and Northwest sections of the Union's lines. This ended up breaking up the defending lines, and pushed them back. Already, it looked like yet another victory for us.

_Shun_

Vicksburg was no laughing matter. The high and steep hills littered the landscape, making it difficult for both sides to get anywhere. On some of the hills, I saw Pemberton's army resting on the hills, and shooting at Union soldiers that tried to make their way to the top to fight.

They never did reach the top. But those that were perishing on the hills, didn't really mean that we were losing. Pemberton was still low on supplies, and we had pushed them right against the Mississippi River, leaving them nowhere else to run.

Grant had ordered severl divisions to flank the lower end of the defending lines and pushing the army into nothing more than a tight cluster of soldiers. But during the start of the battle, I lost sight of both Dan and Joe, and had no idea as to where they were now.

Although, I had a feeling that they were both fine. I mean, they had made it this far, so why couldn't they finish off the rest of this war? That was probably morale talking, seeing as how lucky the three of us had gotten so far. We all had the same chance of dying as we did when we went into our first battle.

I jumped out from behind the tree I was using as cover, and fired my rifle. A Confederate soldier that had been running my way, flew back and landed on the ground. Before a stray bullet caught me, I ducked back behind the tree.

The cannon fire and gunshots were explosive, almost deafening me. In all of the other battles I had been in, I don't think any of them had been this loud. A Union soldier saw me and waved his hand for me to follow him. He shouted over the explosions, "We've got them on the run again! Come on!"

I jumped up and chased after him. Sure enough, I saw that Pemberton's army was running out of room to run. After about another day of firing at their last defense, and giving them no access to supply lines that were trying to reach them, I saw the white flag being raised from their garrison. Pemberton, after nearly forty days, finally gave up.

And ironically enough, this battle ended on July fourth. After Pemberton's surrender, the Confederate Major handed over the last of their cannons and guns, greatly increasing our weapons. Instead of taking all of Pemberton's army prisoner, Grant showed mercy and offered to parole the soldiers.

They accepted it, seeing as how injured and starved they were. I was standing next to Grant when he said, "It's just easier to rub this defeat in the Confederacy's faces, rather than shipping all of these troops back up North and put them into prison camps."

I figured he was mainly talking to himself, so I said nothing. Later that night, we had set up temporary camp at the demolished place that was once Vicksburg. I had also found that Dan and Joe escaped this battle unscathed once again, which was a load off of my shoulders.

Now, I sat on one of the massive hills that made up Vicksburg's geographical map, and stared out at the Mississippi River. Unlike the hours prior, there was no more gunfire or anything, and the only sounds I could hear were the muffled conversations of soldiers, and the lapping waves of the river.

With the relaxing sounds of the river, mixed in with my body finally telling me how exhausted I was, I laid back on the side of the hill and fell asleep.

_Klaus_

The first day of the battle hadn't been much of a challenge, but now we were in the second, and both armies were fighting at their fullest. On the opposing side, we were against Major General George Meade. Originally, we were supposed to be going against Hooker's army, but the story goes that Lincoln replaced him with Meade.

_Just proving that Hooker was a sorry commander. _Our side seemed to be winning this battle; we had almost all of the Union troops surrounded. We took out a heavy number of soldiers on the second day of the battle. More and more, it looked like we would win.

When night fell, the two armies split up and let the fighting cease until the morning. I saw no point in wasting hours that we could use fighting. _But I guess some people need to rest. _It would have been a bad idea to have fatigued soldiers fighting. In now way, shape, or form would that have been beneficial to either side.

I walked past Lee's tent, and heard him going over tomorrow's battle plans. He was planning on having us send in a massive infantry assault on Meade's army, and finish it out with a grand victory. The morning came around quicker than I had hoped, and Lee went over his battle plans with us.

We would make almost a fish-hook like formation and surround the weakened Union troops. The morale in Lee's voice, and the confident look on his face, suggested that he knew that we had this battle within our grasp. We set up in Lee's formation like he wanted us to, and charged. Meade's army was in their defending positions. There was no way that they could take on over 12,000 charging soldiers, but they did.

They raised their rifles and began to bombard us with heavy fire. Immediately, I dropped down onto the ground so I might not be hit by the flying lead bullets. It was almost like they had been expecting something like this from us. In no time, Meade's army had mowed down our infantry, littering the ground with fallen Confederate troops.

They began to advance on us, and I heard somebody shout, "Fall back! Fall back!" I didn't even hesitate before I jumped up and began to run. After several hours of running, we stopped and started to walk. Many soldiers held their heads low as we went on through the dreaded march back to Virginia.

I was walking near Lee. His hands were bunched into tight fists, and all he kept saying was, "How humiliating. I can't believe they defeated me." I honestly couldn't believe that they had beaten our army either. We had the upper hand in every aspect; we had more troops, more ammunition, and more weapons.

But we ended up suffering a humiliating defeat nonetheless. Perhaps this proved that Lee underestimate the army put before us. The rest of our march, was completely silent.

_The Address_

_(November)_

Lincoln, dress head to toe in a suit, made his way up onto the stage and looked out before the massive crowd that had gathered there that day to hear him speak. It had been many months after the Battle of Gettysburg, but the speak would be worth it. He cleared his throat, and began to deliver, what would one day be considered one of the greatest speeches.

_"Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the propostition that all men are created equal. Now, we are engaged in a great Civil War, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. _

_We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is all together fitting and proper that we do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. _

_The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus so far nobly advanced. _

_It is rather, for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from these honored dead, we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom- and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." _

And with that said, a round of applause was given to the President, and he walked off the stage.

* * *

**do i really need to state that the speech belonged to Lincoln? probably. it belongs to Lincoln. and i know that the speech took place during November, that's why i stated it. there will be a short mention of it in either the November or December chapter. i just kind of did a jump forward while i was on Gettysburg. **

**but i actually do live about twenty miles from Vicksburg, and i'm not kidding when i say that there are hills galore in that place. (you'd have some serious leg muscles if you just walked to work everyday). but it's a wonderful place, and i've even been at the Civil War nation park there. **

**also, sorry if parts of the chapter might be messed up, my Microsoft word went retarded on me and shut down while i was typing, but thankfully it saved most of my chapter. so, if a sentence might be repeated, my apologies. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpeplt~**


	32. August 1863: For The Love Of Freedom

_Alice_

Word of the recent battles that had been fought finally reached our little town. The Confederacy had suffered a heavy defeat at both Vicksburg and Gettysburg, causing many to say that this may be a turning point in the war. The Confederate troops didn't like this possibility at all, but I had a feeling that the Union troops were praying that this was nearing the end.

With the thought of the two battle pondering in my thoughts, I began to wonder if Shun had participated in one of them. He most likely had, seeing as Grant's army fought at Vicksburg, and last I had heard of, Shun was still in his army. And just like the aftermath of any battle that I had heard about, I started to worry about whether or not Shun came out of it unscathed.

I stopped walking and stood on the side of the road. Several horse carriages passed by me, not even acknowledging my presence; not that it bothered me. I had stopped because I remembered the dream I had some time ago, where Klaus had killed Shun.

Each passing battle, brought along with it the memory of that dream, and each time, I kept hoping that that was all the dream was; a dream. If it ever came true, then I had no idea what I would do. Perhaps go along with my life like I had after my grandfather's passing, but I would never forgive Klaus if he did kill Shun. In fact, I hardly wanted to forgive Klaus now for all that he had done.

I brought my hand up to my cheek where he had hit me during a battle; unknowingly, of course. He had thought that I was nothing more than another soldier, so I didn't hold that against him. But what if he had known it was me under that blue and gold uniform?

What would he have done? If I knew Klaus well enough, then he probably would have blamed Shun for me being in the battle, when at that time, Shun didn't even know it was me either. My hands fiddled with each other without me realizing it. Around me, passersby glanced at me as they went on their way.

I had gathered too much attention as of late thanks to my recent actions and events. I was even the town's favorite topic as people spoke to one another and tried to put a story together about what they thought I had done. All of it made me feel like an outcast among them, kind of like if I had been from the North and stumbled my way down here.

The looks some people gave me, said that I no longer belonged in this place. This town, was no longer a home to me as far as I was concerned. Right then and there, I decided that after the war, and if it was possible, I would take my belongings and go somewhere else.

A place where my past and actions wouldn't follow me, no matter how hard they tried. It was true that I would have to leave behind the friends that I had come to love, but I could take this no longer. A high-pitched scream filled the town and then some, causing several people to turn around and look out of curiosity.

My eyes finally locked onto Murucho. He was being carried by two police officers, his feet kicking around in the air and arms flailing as he tried to free himself. Behind him, I saw his parents. Tears streaked his mother's face, but his father's expression was one set in stone.

I picked up the skirt of my dress and ran over to them. "What's going on?" I asked, looking as the officers still carried Murucho away. His mother told me through sobs, "They're accusing my son of helping to free slaves from estates and going to punish him!"

She then buried her face into her hands, and her shoulders trembled as she continued to cry. I turned my attention back in the direction that Murucho had been carried off in. About eight months ago, when the Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect, I had helped Murucho get the slaves off of his estate and to a safer place.

That was the last, and only time, that I had known that Murucho had done that. But apparently, he had done it again on some neighboring plantations, and his luck had run out. Now, he was captured. I looked up at his father once again.

Even though he hardly showed any emotion other than disapproval on his face, I thought I saw a tear trying to squeeze its way out of his eye. What would they do to poor Murucho? Normally, when something like this happened, the slaves were the ones that were always at fault, but things had started to change.

People would want to see somebody pay for this, and if Murucho was the only one they could punish, then they would. I ran away from his parents and hurried to the town's prison. When I walked through the door and into the jail, I saw Murucho was huddled up in the corner of a cell, his face buried in his knees.

The sheriff was leaned back in his chair, feet propped up on the desk in front of him. "Oh, well look what the cat drug in. Just can't stay away from this jail, can you, Miss Gehabich?" I narrowed my eyes at him. During my imprisonment here, this sheriff had made wise-cracks at me any chance he could.

Ignoring him so he wouldn't see that his stabs got to me, I ran over to Murucho's cell. "Murucho," I whispered through the bars. He looked up at me, fear flooding from his eyes. "Alice? Alice!" He scrambled over towards me, meeting me on the other side of the bars. I asked him, "What happened?"

Even though I already had an idea of what went on. He said to me through the bars, "I was caught breaking some slaves out of a nearby plantation." I hated how this was turned around. It had been Murucho that was in my place at once, and I in his. And it had also been Murucho who paid for my bail and got me out of this place.

I only wished that I could do the same thing, but I doubted I had enough money to even pay for half of it. And the odds of his parents paying for his way out, was slim as well. If they did, then it could hurt their social status by saying they cared for a person that cared for the slaves.

It didn't matter whether or not they cared for their son, which they did as much as any parent could love their child. But the way that our upside down society would see it, the townspeople would looked down upon his parents cause they helped to get him out of jail.

It then occurred to me, that Murucho might not even have a bail. If he didn't, then that meant that there were worse things coming his way. "What are they going to do to you, Murucho?" I asked, taking his small, shaking hand in mine in order to give him some comfort.

He shook his head, and his once neatly combed hair fell all out of place. "I-I don't k-know, Alice." I had never seen Murucho this scared in his life, and it troubled me. When I looked closer in his eyes, I could see why he was so scared; he probably thought that he would be hung.

Would they really do something that horrible to him? I wasn't sure if they would do to punish Murucho for what he did, but I wasn't going to allow it. Glancing over my shoulder and at the sheriff, I saw that he had fallen asleep.

I then turned back to Murucho and told him, "I'm going to get you out of here. I promise, I won't let anything bad happen to you." His eyes flashed with hope and gratefulness.

"R-really, Alice? Th-thank you, so much." I stood up from the wooden floor and whispered to him, "I'll be back tonight. Just hang in for a little bit, okay?" He nodded, and I hurried out of the jail to get ready for tonight.

_Alice_

I was dressed in a long, dark colored cape so I might not be as noticeable in the darkness of night. In my hand, I carried a bag with a couple of tools, just in case I could not find the key to Murucho's cell door. There was hardly a soul out in the streets, even though it wasn't all that late at night.

As I kept low and made my way to the jail, I noticed a large crowd gathered at the end of the town. In front of them, was a large bonfire. Standing on a stage in front of the bonfire, was the town's mayor. It then occurred to me, that there was a vote being taken, and it was on what should happen to Murucho.

I didn't stay around to hear what the options were, and continued on my way to the jail. The front door of the prison was wide open, and thankfully, the sheriff was not inside. Murucho, still hunkered down in his corner, raised his head up, and his blue eyes sparkled when they saw me.

"Alice! You got here just in time! Hurry! I think the sheriff said he was going to be back soon." My eyes quickly began to scan the dark prison for the keys, and I even checked in the sheriff's desk. They were nowhere in this entire building. So, I threw my bag of tools down in front of Murucho's cell, and pulled out a small metal rod, and screwdriver.

Then, I began to try and pick at the lock like my grandfather had showed me to do once before, but that was a long time ago, and I feared that I didn't remember what to do. My hands were shaking from adrenaline. What if the sheriff or somebody else walked in while I was trying to break Murucho out?

They would surely have me join him in whatever punishment that was being decided on. I moved the metal rod a certain way, and the lock popped open. The heavy, metal contraption fell on the wooded floor with a thud, and I quickly swung open the door to his cell.

Murucho ran out of the prison cell and wrapped his small arms around me in a hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" He kept repeating his thanks over and over to me. I then pried the short blonde off of me and told him, "I know you're thankful, but we still have to get you out of here before somebody sees you."

He nodded his small head. Scooping up my tools that I had brought with me, I told Murucho to follow me, and the two of us darted out of the jail and towards the nearest part of the forest that we could find. Behind us, I heard a commotion start up in the town.

Even from this far away, I heard somebody shout, "He's escaped!" Murucho and I came up to a creek, where I tossed the bag of tools into the water so they could never be discovered ever again. Murucho, still shaking from his nerves, asked me, "Now, what, Alice? I can't live in the woods for the rest of my life." I sat down on the rocky bank of the creek and let out a long sigh.

"I know, Murucho. I just need to think of a way to get you out of here." He sat down next to me and smiled. "You, know, Alice? A lot of people would think that what you just did for me was crazy, but I think it was pretty awesome." That made me smile; only Murucho could turn a situation like this into something so lighthearted.

As we sat on the bank, I then began to realize that this whole place kind of looked familiar to me. It then started to come back to me in little bits. This was the creek near Klaus' old plantation, and the same area that Shun had been captured in.

I abruptly stood up and told Murucho, "I think I know how you can get out of here." He stared up at me, confused as to what I was getting at. Grabbing his small wrist, I pulled him behind me and ran out from the creek. Sure enough, Klaus' plantation was sitting out in the massive field.

Off to the side, was the horse barn. I told Murucho, "You can take one of Klaus' horses and follow the creek until you get to a boating dock. Then, get on a steamship that's going North. Simple, right?" A smile crossed his face, and it was followed by a nod. We ran across the field and got to the barn.

Suddenly, I was flooded with memories. They were of when Klaus had captured Shun for trespassing on his property. He had locked Shun up in one of the horse stalls, but I had freed him before my inside ex-fiancé could harm him.

A thought then crossed my mind; not everything that had happened to me, would have happened if I had just let Klaus do what he wanted to Shun. I wouldn't have gone to that ball and been caught with Shun, and Klaus wouldn't have gone mad and joined the army.

I also would have never gone into the war and fought. But overall, I would have never met somebody that I was truly happy around. While I had been lost in my thoughts, Murucho had found a horse and was already mounted in the saddle. He looked down at me from atop the massive horse and smiled.

"Thank you so much for your help, Alice. There's no telling what they would have done to me. I promise, I'll try and contact you as soon as I'm sure that I'm safe." I smiled and told him, "I know you will. Take your time, Murucho." He then dug the heels of his small feet into the horse's side, and was gone off into the night.

I stood in the doorway of the barn for a moment, a light breeze blowing around my face and in my hair. Then, I remembered that the town was probably in a mass chaos as they looked for their escaped prisoner, and they would probably come looking for me since he and I were friends. So, I ran as fast as I could back to my house before anyone noticed my absence.

* * *

yup. got this chapter out of the way. -feels accomplished- sorry for not getting this updated Sunday, just was lacking and idea. but i got this. ;) **vote on my poll please cause it closes today!** read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	33. September 1863: Enough Is Enough

_Alice_

As if the curt looks the townspeople were given me hadn't been bad before, they were even worse now. Reason being, word had slipped into the town about my recent interrogation. The sheriff and several other people questioned me about whether or not I knew anything about how Murucho, who had been locked away due to charges of freeing slaves, escaped from prison.

I told them I knew nothing, and told them that I had been at home all day. It was as good a lie as any, seeing that nobody else had been home that day to argue against me. I recalled how the police kept asking me to same questions over and over again, and how they even told me that they just wanted to hear what I knew, and that I was not a suspect.

But I knew that was a lie. They suspected me of freeing Murucho more than anyone else in the town just because they knew he and I were close friends. But thankfully for me, the sheriff and officers left when they realized that they weren't going to get anything out of me.

Although, I felt that since that interrogation a month ago, their eyes had never left me, and that they were watching me from the shadows, waiting for me to mess up. But I wasn't going to give them that satisfaction. I made sure to watch what I said and how I acted at all times, for I never knew when they may have been watching.

Today was no different. As strode through town to pick up a few things at the general store, I held my head high and didn't make eye-contact with the people that were staring at me like some pariah. It didn't matter to them if there was no evidence piled up against me; they thought I was guilty of freeing Murucho, even though I really was.

But the other parts of my past records were also still effecting me. People still looked at me with disgust at the fact of what had transpired between Klaus and I so long ago, and how I had been involved with a Union soldier. And they were also still creating rumors and stories as to why I ran from home a couple months back; none of them knew the true story.

The only ones that were aware of what really happened to me, were those that were closest to me; Runo, Julie, Murucho, and my deceased grandfather. I had no worries about the secret spilling from their lips. As I walked through the door of the general store, the little bell chimed to signal a new arrival.

The store clerk looked up and smiled, but when he saw it was me, that smile vanished. He asked flatly, "Can I help you?" I held back the remarks that were begging to be let loose, and told him nicely, "No, I think I've got everything under control." The clerk nodded and walked into a room in the back of store.

When I was sure that he was gone, I sighed and rested my hand on a shelf. I had grown somewhat used to the cold looks and harsh comments coming from the townspeople, but I wasn't sure how much longer I would be able to tolerate it. The clerk suddenly reappeared and sat back down behind the counter.

He glanced at me once, then adverted his eyes elsewhere. With all of my supplies in my arms, I walked up to the counter and set them down. The clerk sighed and began to ring the items up on the cash register. While he was doing that, my eyes caught a glimpse of the day's paper.

Its headline was talking about the war and things relating to it. To make smalltalk, I said to the clerk, "The war still seems like it's going strong, huh?" He grunted and tossed the last of my items into a bag. "Yeah, it seems that way. Although, as long as this war has been going on, nobody in the town knows where your loyalty lies," he said coldly while handing me my bag of groceries.

So, the townspeople were questioning my loyalty? I shouldn't have been surprised, but I kind of was. I knew they were questioning a lot of things about me, but where my loyalty lied hadn't really crossed my thoughts. I could see why they would be confused though.

I had been caught with a Union soldier, and it wasn't exactly a secret that neither my grandfather nor I supported to war and the South's decisions. I took the bag and told the clerk flatly, "Well, when I find out, I'll be sure to let everyone know."

He stared at me, surprised by my retort. With that said, I bowed my head and walked out of the store. I could still feel the eyes of the clerk on me through the store's window, but I didn't let them trouble me. I was just about to leave out of town and head back home when I heard Runo shouting my voice from behind.

"Alice, wait up!" she shouted, waving her hand in the air above her head. I halted and stood on the outskirts of town. She stopped a few feet short of me, panting and out of breath from her frantic run. "Yes, Runo?" I asked, hoping that this conversation would pass quickly, for I desired nothing more than to hurry back to the safety of my home.

The bluenette straightened up and told me, "One of the nearby plantation owners is throwing a ball, and anyone who wants to go is more than welcomed to. Julie and I were just wondering if you would like to go with us." I shook my head and was about to speak, but Runo cut me off before I had the chance to say anything.

"Come on, Alice. This might do you some good. Julie and I are worried about you. Since you got back from…You know where…You haven't been like your usual self. We want to see the old Alice again. Please, won't you go?" she pleaded. Now, I felt as if I couldn't say no.

This apparently meant a lot to my friends, and to decline their offer knowing this, I would have felt guilty. "Alright, I'll go. You could be right about it doing me some good," I said with a faint smile. Runo smiled and gave me a hug. "That's the spirit, Alice!" she said cheerfully.

"The ball is tomorrow night. Don't be late!" She turned on her heels and ran back into town, waving to me as she vanished off into the distance. I sighed, wondering what new mess I may have gotten myself into.

_Alice_

I slipped on my pair of purple gloves that stopped right at my elbows. They complimented my lavender colored dress nicely, which gave me an excuse to wear them. I was dressed up for the night's ball that I had been talked into going to.

I found it strange that even in the midst of the war, people still found it in them to have a good time every now and then. Well, maybe it shouldn't have been that strange. This was a plantation owner, and like most of them, he had more money than he knew what to do with.

He, along with all of the others of his status, were able to pay their way out of the war. They never saw what it was like on the battlefield. They did not know of the blood and carnage that was experienced out there. So, why not throw a ball?

To them, almost everything was still right in the world; the only thing at stake for them was their livelihood of owning plantations and slaves. Then again, most of the slaves in our little town had been freed in the course of one night thanks to Murucho.

Although, he was unable to get to this plantation due to the fact that he had been captured. So, as far as I knew, there were still slaves here. When I neared the front steps of the Antebellum home, I saw Runo and Julie waiting for me on the bottom steps.

Their eyes found me amongst the crowd of partygoers, and they instantly ran up to me. "I'm still glad you could come to this ball, Alice," Runo said with a smile. I smiled back and saw that Runo had on her usual yellow ball gown, while Julie donned a new one of several shades of brown.

Inside of the mansion, I could hear music and laughter. Suddenly, I was reminded of the night everything really started to fall apart for me. It was when I went to that couple's ball with Shun, and Klaus had discovered us. That was when everything began to really spiral out of control.

With this memory fresh in my mind, I no longer wanted to attend this ball, but I knew that Julie and Runo would not allow me to leave now. So, I pushed the memory to the side and walked up the stairs with them. Once inside the mansion, I saw that the main room had been adjusted to accommodate a massive crowd.

Furniture was pushed out of the way to make room for those who desired to dance or socialize with other attendees. The band that had been hired began to play a different tune, one that was light and happy. Julie clapped her hands together and said, "Oh, I love this song! We should go and dance for a bit!"

I marveled Julie for trying to make things feel as normal as possible. Before the war, this wouldn't have been anything new to any of us. We would have attended to ball and danced away without a care in the world.

But I knew of the world that was outside of the confines of this Antebellum home, and even though the party with all of its flashy decorations and music was trying to mask it, the world of war was still out there, booming and singing its song of violence.

I smiled sadly and told Julie, "I might join you guys later. I think I'm going to go and get something to drink." They nodded and ran off into the makeshift dance floor. Instead of going towards the refreshment table as I had said, I snuck away and asked a servant where the bathrooms were.

They pointed up the staircase and gave me directions from there. I walked up the wooden stairs that were draped with red velvet and found the bathroom in the exact spot that servant had told me it was. Knocking on the door, I waited a moment to see if anyone was occupying the room.

When I heard no knock, I pushed the heavy wooden door open and entered inside. The bathroom, like the rest of the Antebellum home, was lavish and decorated as well. As I strode over to the sink, I thought that if things hadn't gone like they had with Klaus, I would have been living in a house like this.

Most people would have thought that to be lucky and a blessing, while I saw it as a curse. This was no way that I wanted to live, and I didn't know why anyone would want this kind of life. I turned on the sink and splashed a bit of cool water on my face.

My skin tingled with the touch of the water as I felt around for a towel to dry my face. Once that was done, I straightened up and recomposed myself. I just had to get through this night, and then things would quiet down a bit; although, they would not change.

I left the bathroom and started to walk back to where the ball was taking place. As I walked down the hallway, I was approaching several Confederate troops that were on leave and back home for a while. They glanced at me, and one of them let out a wolf-whistle as I passed by.

I cut him a look and kept on walking, but he latched his hand onto my wrist and pulled me back towards them. "Hey, do you have any manners? Somebody takes an interest in you, you should at least acknowledge them," he said with a mischievous grin. Now that I was closer to them, I could smell alcohol on the three troops.

Odds were that they normally wouldn't act like this, but that wasn't always the case. I also recognized the three as people that I had seen around town before. They hadn't gone into war until a year or so ago, and only because they were drafted late.

I snatched my arm free and snapped, "How dare you lay your hands on me!" I raised my hand to slap the insolent fool in the face, but one of his friends stopped me. The soldier that had whistled at me, took this chance to pin me against the wall. He slammed me against the wood paneling with enough force to rattle the picture frames that were hung.

"What's your deal? You'll hook up with some Yankee but not with us?" he asked playfully, but also with harshness. His two buddies were snickering behind him, each of them with mischievousness in their eyes. I narrowed my eyes at the man that was pinning me against the wall, then brought my knee up into his abdomen.

He doubled over, and took that opportunity and shot down the hallway. But I felt his hand latch onto the skirt of my dress. Quickly, I reached down and tore the fabric free and continued to run away from my harassers. I hurried down the staircase and through the ballroom.

I was just about to run out through the front doors when my two friends stopped me. "Alice, where are you going? What happened?" Runo asked me as she pushed past several people. Tears had started to streak down my face. I couldn't handle this anymore.

I couldn't handle the cold and hateful looks that I had been receiving. I was at my breaking point, and if I pushed it any further, then I would surely crumble to my very core. Runo placed her hands on my shoulders and gave me a slight shake. "Alice, tell us what's wrong," she said gently.

A crowd began to gather around, and almost every face I saw, was somebody from the town. They were whispering to each other, and I suddenly felt like some kind of animal. I wasn't on the same level as these people anymore; at least, not in their eyes.

I tightened my hands into fists and shouted, "I'm tired of it all! I'm tired of the looks and whispers! No more! You all wonder where my loyalty lies, well, I'll tell you it isn't with people like you! And if that means that I'm sided with the North, then so be it!"

I grabbed the ripped ends of my dress and bolted out of the door of the mansion. I could hear Julie and Runo shouted for me to come back, but I wasn't going to do such a thing. With the words that I just spoke at that mansion, I would most certainly never be looked at the same ever again.

As I ran, I came across a pasture, and several horses were standing around the field and grazing at the late hour. I hoped on the back of one, and grabbed on tightly to its mane as the startled animal bucked.

Once it calmed down, I dug my heels into its side and put the horse into a full gallop, allowing the creature to take me away from the South, for I knew that there would be a search party sent out to find and arrest me for treason against the Confederate States of America.

* * *

omg, it's been a while since i've worked on this story o.o'' i actually had to go back and read over the last few chapters to remember what i wrote last time. -.-'' yeah. it's been that long. **check out my profile for what story i should start after this.** read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	34. October 1863: Assault

_Alice_

Both my stolen horse and I were exhausted beyond comprehension. For nearly an entire month straight I had been on the run, trying to get as far away from my old home as I possible could. My clothes were tattered and covered in filth, and anyone that didn't know my story would have thought that I was some poor, homeless traveler.

For the moment, I had halted the horse in the middle of a forest so he could rest and get a drink from a small creek that I found. I had no clue as to what state I was in, if any at that. All I knew was that I had been trying my best to keep the direction of North in my mind, but that had proven more difficult that I thought it to be.

The reason I was trying to escape the South, was that I was sure that people were looking for me as a wanted person; a traitor to the Confederacy. But I was also tired of it all. I was tired of the prejudices that were placed on people because how they looked, acted, or the decisions that they made.

The South was no longer the place that I had called home for all of my life. It was now a prison, and its chains of oppression were sewn deeply into the ground, waiting to lurch forward and capture a poor, innocent person. In this case, I was that person.

My recent actions, combined with the hatred caused by the war, had uprooted my life, allowing those chains to break free and wrap my body up in accusing looks and glares, and going to the North was the only way to try and escape those chains.

Or, at least, I felt that it was the only way. Tired of standing, I knelt down beside the creek. The horse's head was still lowered down into the water as it drank its thirst away. "At least I'm not the only one running," I told the horse. "You and I are both in this together."

The animal didn't pay me any mind and continued to drink. I sighed, seeing that it had come down to me speaking to the horse like a close friend. And with the thought of my close friends, a shudder went through me. When I ran, Julie and Runo had been in attendance to watch my spectacle.

They had tried to stop me from running, and tried to talk some sense into me. But I didn't let them. When all of that transpired, I had admitted that my loyalty did not lie within the South, meaning that it could have only lied with the North.

Even if Runo and Julie convinced me into not running off, the people that had heard my confession would still know. They would have made my life worse than it already was, or would have gone and locked me away for an admitted treason. I didn't want any of that.

I was fleeing the South so I could escape from what they would have done to me back home. I stood up from the creek-side and grabbed the reigns on the horse. It made of noise of protest as I took it away from its water source and hopped on its back. I dug my heels into the horse's side and the anime started into a fast-paced trot. Using the sun as a guide, I tried to find what I thought was North, and kept on my way.

_Shun_

The blaring of a bugle woke us that morning. It had been a long time since I heard the wailing of that glorified trumpet, and I still found myself annoyed by it. With a groan, I left the confines of my tent, along with the other soldiers I bunked with, and headed towards our meeting area, which was a makeshift flagpole with the Union flag flying high.

Standing in front of the pole was General Grant, who was accompanied by someone else. The man beside him was somewhat scrawny, and didn't really look like he belonged in such a rough setting.

Grant cleared his throat and said, "This here is the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton. You all will be in his command while I take my leave. I do not know when I will be reunited with any of you, if any at all, but do take care and listen to your new superior. Understood?"

We all gave Grant a salute and nod of our heads. The General nodded back and mounted a horse that was tied off behind him. He then kicked the horse's sides and trotted off from the camp, leaving us standing before the presence of the Secretary of War.

A feeling of awkwardness crossed Stanton's face as he stood there with our eyes locked on him. He then said quickly, "You are all dismissed. Go on about your daily routines." We all nodded and dispersed. As I walked back towards my tent, Dan ran up behind me.

He asked me, "They really left us with some Washington bigwig? They apparently don't plan on us being in battle for a while, do they?" I shrugged. If we wouldn't be in another battle for a while, then I was fine with that, for I had still yet to recover from the Battle of Vicksburg.

That was the case with most of our troops as well. All of us were still feeling the effects of that bloody, excruciating battle. I finally arrived back to my tent and told Dan, "I'm going to catch up on the sleep I lost from when the bugle woke us all up."

The brunette nodded and walked off back towards the main part of camp. As I ducked back into my tent, I saw that I was the only one inside. _Guess everyone else is too awake to go back to sleep, _I thought to myself and laid down on my sleeping cot.

I then sighed, suddenly finding my mind wide awake, even though my body called for more rest. Somehow, my thoughts started to drift back to my last meeting with Alice. She had been taken back home by her grandfather and two friends, and that had been the last of her.

Of course, I had traveled a bit more since then, so it was only natural that we lost tough. Then again, it seemed like all of our encounters had been ones of accidents and coincidence. I found myself wondering how she was doing. Were things back to normal for her and going great?

Or were they still as bad as they were when things got to the point that she stowed away with the Union army? I shut my eyes, no longer wishing to think about such things. Eventually, I knew that all would be revealed to me somehow, but dwelling on the impossible would not give me any answers.

_Grant_

My time up in Louisville, Kentucky was short, and for a moment, I thought I would be returning to the troops that I left back in Mississippi under the command of Stanton. But several things came up. There was a request for my assistance in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which had been in a battle since August and ended sometime in September.

They wanted me to assume command of the army there. Of course, I accepted. As a high-ranking General, I would be thrown around into different armies from time to time. It didn't bother me, but I also wished that the soldiers that I had left in Mississippi were able to come along with me, for they were a good bunch of fighters.

Sadly, that could not happen unless something came up and we needed extra assistance in a battle. After a couple hours travel by train, I arrived in Chattanooga. The land there bore the scars of battle, making it look like hell incarnate. Then again, most battlefields looked that way.

As greetings were exchanged between the other officers and I, we began on the discussions that would make this stronghold better. I immediately saw that there needed to be a better supply line, for the current one was nothing but a road of mud and water.

If this was allowed to stay, then nothing would ever be able to get through if another battle broke out. Work immediately began on securing another line. As things began to calm down, and the officers and soldiers adapted to a new person in charge, I decided to walk around the camp.

On my walk, I met with the soldiers that had been injured in the previous battles. They spoke to me formally, and said what an honor it was for me to be leading them. I found it strange how people honored the man that would lead them into battles and a possible death, but the way that the human mind acted in war was something that was always beyond my comprehension.

I walked towards the edge of the camp. This side of the camp bore no wounds of battle, and the land was untouched by mortars and cannonballs. Before me was the beauty of the South, rather than the uglier side that so many people have seen or imagined.

I took in a deep breath of the Tennessee mountain air and smiled. The peace before battle and when everything was perfect, was one of the simple pleasures that I had learned to enjoy. As I gazed out into the large, open field of rolling green grass, I saw something moving around in the forest that bordered the field.

Narrowing my eyes, I tried to focus and get a better look at what it was I had seen. Had it just been a trick played on me by the shadows? When I was about to settle with that explanation, a girl on horseback emerged. I found myself surprised, but that quickly wore off when the young woman suddenly fell from the animal and landed on the ground.

I ran up to her and found her unconscious. Carefully, I shook her lightly, and her large, brown eyes opened slightly. The poor girl looked rough, and like she had been through a battle of her own. The clothes she wore were torn and ripped, and her orange hair was matted. "Hang on, miss. We'll get you some help," I told her as I scooped her small frame up and hauled her back to camp.

_Alice_

I forced my eyes open and found myself looking up at the canvas roof of a tent. _Where am I? _I began to look around, and found several sleeping cots in the tent, but they were all empty and uninhabited. I was all alone in this tent. Outside, I heard a voice say, "She's awake now, sir."

A man then stepped inside of the tent and sat down on a cot across from me. "I'm glad to see you're awake," he told me. I stared at him in confusion and began to examine him more closely. He was a burly man in much need of a shave, but he appeared to be somewhat young, maybe just now reaching his middle years.

He wore a blue and gold uniform with ornate medals and markings on the jacket. "You're Union," I told him in a groggy voice. The man nodded and told me, "Yes, ma'am. I'm General Grant of the Union army. And who might you be?" He spoke formally and kindly. "Alice," I replied.

Grant nodded and asked me, "Might I ask you to tell me your story?" I adverted my gaze back up to the roof of the tent. "I'm kind of running from the Confederacy," I told him flatly. "I admitted that my loyalty did not lie with the South, and I ran because I feared that I would be captured for treason."

Grant nodded and said with a slight smile, "Well, since you're not on the South's side, I guess I have no reason for you to turn on me. But that was a smart thing to do, running from the South that is. In this wartime, they are irrational. Well, everyone is. Not just the South. The North as well." Grant gazed off somewhere else, maybe at a time before the war when all was peaceful.

I asked him, "Where exactly am I?" He snapped from his thoughts and told me, "Chattanooga, Tennessee." I was surprised by how far I was from home, but also by how wrong my directions had been. I was trying to go North, and I practically went West. Seeing as this man was a Union General, I thought that he might know Shun.

But it then occurred to me that he had lead countless soldiers, and probably knew not a one of their names. Grant was about to say something to me, but the sound of gunfire cut him off. He growled and hissed under his breath, "A nighttime assault? Cowardly!" He then ran out from my tent, leaving me behind.

The gunfire only grew louder, and I covered my ears with my hands, then brought my knees up to my chest. Screams penetrated my ears through my hands, causing me to shut my eyes tightly. Memories of the battle that I had secretly been in returned to my mind with vivid intensity.

I didn't want to relive this again. Suddenly, Grant ran back into my tent. He was panting heavily, and clutching a small wound on his side. "Blasted rebels," he hissed. Grant then turned to me and tossed a rifle into my hands. I caught it and stared at the gun.

He told me, "You need to get out of here. The battlefield is nowhere for somebody in your condition. Listen to me, if you travel just a bit North, you should come across a Union occupied town. You'll be safe there. If anyone doubts you, tell them that I sent you and that you are on the side of the North. Now, go!"

Grant ran back outside. I sat in the tent for a moment longer, then gathered myself and ran out of the tent, rifle clutched tightly in my hands. Outside, the battle that was taking place was fierce. With every shot of a gun, I found myself flinching and ducking down, but I didn't stop running.

As I ran out of the camp, I found the horse that I took when I first left home. It was tied up to a tree limb, bucking and spooked by the sounds of war. I quickly untied the rope and jumped on the animal's back, only spooking him more. But I regained control and dug my heels deep into the horse's side, then followed Grant's instructions as I fled the battlefield.

* * *

aye, one more week of school and then i'm out for two weeks! woo! read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	35. November 1863: Hardships Of Chattanooga

_Alice_

It had been rather difficult to find the town that Grant told me to go to, but I found it nonetheless. Stationed all around the camp were Union soldiers. Some of them had rifles in hand, while others had nothing. Grant had explained to me in the short amount of time we had that this town was under Union occupation, and I later found out that it was a location won in what was being called the Chattanooga Campaign.

Apparently, all of Tennessee was under a siege from both sides, creating multiple battles in the course of several months. I had been present during the beginning of one, and thankfully, I had gotten away, thanks to Grant. But I did wonder how things were going back at that camp.

Had the Confederates taken the camp during their nighttime assault? No word about it had been spoken in this tiny town since my arrival earlier last month. I still recalled the questioning looks I received when I rode into town; my clothes were still filthy and I looked homeless rather than civilized.

I had been confronted when I first entered the town, Union soldiers glaring at me and asking what I was doing here. That was when I explained to him that Grant sent me to this town as a means of safety from a battle that had broken out back at the Union camp.

At first, the soldiers were a bit unsure about my story, but as I gave them details of the camp, they opened up a bit. Now, I was staying in a small ten-by-ten shack that had most likely been a home for slaves before they were freed and before the Union took over this piece of Southern territory.

Some of the soldiers were still a bit apprehensive about having a Southern woman in the confines of this town; they feared that I may have been a pawn of the Confederacy, and was being used to get close to the Union and help crumble it from the inside out.

I thought that theory sounded ridiculous, but what else could have been expected in such an uncertain time? The war had already turned a nation against each other, and turned friends into enemies, so why couldn't it have created female spies to infiltrate the Union as well?

Anything could be possible now. In my small shack, I was sitting down on the edge of my bed; it was obvious that the bed had been here for a while and slept in, but I didn't care. Before I stumbled upon Grant's camp, I had traveled through the South for nearly over a month with hardly any decent shelter.

So, this ratty and broken bed was a step up from what I had before. There were also watering holes on the outskirts of the town, and I was thankful for them, for it allowed me to wash off some of the dirt and grime away. Although, I still felt disgustingly filthy. But that was the price to pay for my actions.

So what if I was going to be a bit dirty and sweaty for a while until I made it up North? In the end, I would have taken that over being locked away for treason. From where I was seated on the bed, I was able to see through the window as Union soldiers, fully dressed in their blue and gold uniforms, mounted horses and rode off out of the town.

Quickly, I pushed myself off of the bed and stepped outside, flagging down a Union soldier that was staying behind while others left. I ran up to him and asked, "What's going on? Where are they going?" The soldier adjusted the hat on his head and told me, "Things are going rough for Grant. He needs extra manpower if he's going to hold his ground. So, some of the troops here decided to run down to his camp and help out."

I found it somewhat hard to believe that Grant, being the military genius that he was, was having trouble. Seeing that the General helped me, I wanted to do something to return the favor, but I could think of nothing. I was of no help on a battlefield, that was for sure. And the warring country was no place for me in general. So, all I could do was stand by and wish Grant the best.

_Shun_

The air had been still that day, and I didn't like it. For some reason, it made me feel that something bad was about to arrive. I apparently wasn't the only one that was uneasy; Joe also showed signs of being weary. Then again, he was like that most of the time, but not to this extent.

I realized this as I stood beside the shaggy dirty-blond and watched as his eyes kept looking around, as if something was about to jump out and scare him. I cautiously asked him, "Everything alright? You look like you're about to jump out of your skin."

Joe ran a hand through his hair and told me, "It's just way too quiet…It's been way too quiet for way too long." I had to agree with him on that note. Since our quarrel at Vicksburg, things had died down some. Normally, this wouldn't bother me, but seeing as the country was now in the heat of the war, it made me all the more uneasy.

"Morning, guys," Dan said, suddenly appearing for the first time that day. I assumed he was enjoying this unsettling peace and was sleeping in. "Morning," I replied back calmly. Joe only gave him a single nod and left it at that as he continued to fret over the stillness.

Dan didn't pick up on Joe's unease, much less mine. _It must be nice to be so oblivious at times, _I mused to myself. As the morning went on, more soldiers emerged from their tents, looking well-rested and ready for a day of eventful nothingness. But that silence and nothingness was broken by the pounding of hooves against the tightly packed earth.

Next thing we knew, was that a man on horseback came charging into our camp. The man and his horse were quickly greeted by the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton. The politician that had been left in charge of us stared at the unknown horseman in surprise.

"Sherman? What brings you all the way out here?" Stanton asked. The horseman dismounted his horse and said something to Stanton that I didn't catch, then turned to look at the soldiers that had gathered around. He said in a booming voice that all of these military leaders seemed to have, "I am William Tecumseh Sherman, and I have been sent down here to recruit some of your assistance."

His eyebrows furrowed as he looked over us, as if wondering if we were really who he wanted for this help. His face then relaxed a bit as he continued to speak.

"General Grant has spoken to me highly about you lot, and he asked me to come down here and retrieve a good many of you. You see, Grant is locked in fierce combat up in Tennessee, and he's on the ropes. We need more power if we are to hold Chattanooga from the Confederates. Now, I would enjoy it if volunteers would step up first before we start to draw names."

Several soldiers stepped forward, saluting Sherman as they showed that they were ready to help out their prestigious General. Dan, Joe, and I stayed back with the rest of the soldiers. It wasn't that we didn't want to help out Grant, it was just that we were not fully ready to jump back into a battle quite yet.

Sherman spoke to his volunteers, then told them to gather their things and hurry towards the edge of the camp. The burly man then turned to look at us and said, "Alright, I'm going to be taking men now based on what battle experience they've had up to now."

Edwin Stanton, who apparently had a record of all of our previous battles, handed them over to Sherman and began to discuss who would be beneficial to send up to Grant. I found myself nervous. Dan, Joe, and I had been in some major battles since our time in the war.

Would they be enough to end up throwing us into another battle? Several hours drug by when Sherman finally emerged from Stanton's tent. He held the list in his hands and his eyes began to scan down the page. Names were then called out, including mine, Dan's, and Joe's.

The three of us stood there, caught off guard that we were going back into battle so soon after Vicksburg. But there was nothing we could do; the only thing we were able to do was cooperate and go gather our things. Sherman handed the list back to Stanton and then turned back to us.

"Alright, quickly gather your things. On the edge of the camp is where we will meet and begin our march up to Tennessee. Once we meet up, I will elaborate our plan to sneak into the battle and catch the Rebels off guard."

We saluted the Major and retreated back to our tents. While I was going back to mine, Joe was walking along side me and shaking his head. "I knew something like this was going to happen," he said with a hint of despair.

_Shun_

Sherman finally explained to us that we were to flank the Confederate General, Braxton Bragg at Missionary Ridge and slow down the onslaught of attacks, then break through and join Grant in the fight. It seemed like it was a good of plan as any. Sherman also told us how rough things really were going for Grant.

He explained that if the General had not put in a supply line when he did, then his army would have been starved into submission the moment the fighting began. At the front of our reinforcement line, were the Calvary soldiers. I wasn't that far behind them, and Joe was only a few rows back from me.

I glanced over my shoulder at the dirty-blond. He wore a worried expression on his face, one that was overflowing with anxiety. Before we left for Grant's new camp, Joe had mentioned to me that he still felt that something bad was going to happen.

He had been right about it being too quiet; that was when Sherman showed up with his unannounced news of extra soldiers being needed. Our march up to Missionary Ridge finally came to an end. We hung back out of sight, and quietly got into our attack positions.

Over the ridge, I was able to see a battle taking place between Bragg's army and one of the other Union divisions. For once, a bugle did not blare its song. No, this was to be a surprise attack on the Confederates. The last thing we needed was to announce our arrival.

Instead, Sherman gave us a hand signal, and our small division took off towards the fighting. When we topped the ridge, I could see the surprised faces of both Rebels and Union soldiers as we dug into Bragg's line. The booming of canon and gunfire filled the air, causing a black smoke from gunpowder to rise into the atmosphere.

In a way, we had returned home, for the battlefield had become like a home away from home. Our troops ran through the stretch of land, cutting down Bragg's army as we went, but it became quite clear that we weren't doing the damage that we had hoped for.

There were way more troops in Bragg's line than there was in our miniscule division, and at the rate that things were going, we would possibly end up being overpowered.

_Grant_

Word quickly reached me about Sherman's arrival. They were at Missionary Ridge, just as they had planned, but there seemed to have been some trouble there. Braxton Bragg's numbers were too high, causing difficulties for Sherman and the troops that he had rounded up to flank the army.

Something had to be done about this before our lines fell, allowing for more Confederate resistance into Tennessee. It then occurred to me that Major George H. Thomas had just taken care of his goal. _I can send him and his troops to help out Sherman, _I thought to myself, then quickly put my thoughts into action.

I mounted my horse and hurried to Thomas' position. He met me the moment he saw my horse heading towards his line. "Yes, General?" he asked me formally. I knew his men were tired and beaten down from the long and strenuous battle, but they would have to rest later.

We were almost at the end of this campaign, and I wasn't about to give it up just yet. I told him, "Hurry to Missionary Ridge and create a distraction to get Bragg's sites off of Sherman and his troops." Thomas nodded and gathered up his troops, then ran off in the direction of Bragg and Sherman.

_Shun_

Bragg was pushing our line back, and I feared that we would fall here at the height of the battle. That same fear was on the faces of most of the soldiers around me. Even though this was the only area of Tennessee that was not under Union control, we couldn't afford to lose this place.

It would act as a gateway into the deep South, giving the Union a major advantage in the coming battles of the war. As Bragg pressed further into our divisions, I saw something topping the hill. At first, I thought that it might have been more Confederate troops, but when I saw the blue and gold uniforms, I felt a wave of relief.

It was reinforcements. They charged at Bragg's army from behind, and what was left of our numbers charged at them from the front, creating a two-sided battle. Both sides clashed into Bragg's line, and now they were being pushed back.

But canon fire from both sides were still in full heat, sending the iron balls into the ground and tearing up the earth as they bounced along. Even though there wasn't much need for the mortar attack, I felt that it was causing more confusion for Bragg's army. With the additional help from the reinforcements, we ended up causing Bragg to retreat by nightfall.

Union soldiers stood around the empty battlefield, some of them cheering while others tried to recover from the brutality they just endured. I used the end of my rifle as a prop and leaned against the weapon, trying to regain my sense of calm after the battle.

But my calm would not come to me just yet, for Dan came barreling towards me. He made the Calvary horse halt, and I saw his eyes were wide with shock. "Shun, follow me! Now!" he shouted and rode off without giving me a chance to ask what was going on.

I chased off after him, finding it difficult to keep up as night continued to fall. But I eventually found him and asked, "What do you-" My words were cut off when I saw what Dan was in such a fuss over. Laying on the ground was Joe, his legs bloody and missing chunks of flesh here and there. The dirty-blonde was moaning in unconscious pain, but that relieved me; it told me that he was still alive.

"We have to get him to the infirmary," Dan said sternly. I nodded and helped Joe onto the back of the Calvary horse. When we picked the small soldier up, he cried out in pain as his mangled limbs were moved. Dan quickly thanked me then carefully mounted the horse again, making sure that he didn't bump our injured friend and make him fall off.

Then, the brunette rode off towards the camp to seek help for our injured friend. I stood there, still caught up in the shock of it all. Joe was injured and could possibly die. If he did, then that would mean that we couldn't live up to the promise that we had made to him at the start of the war.

I could just imagine the guilt Dan would feel, and how heartbroken his fiancée would be when she found out that Joe had died. So, I stood there in the middle of the war torn battlefield and hoped for the best for our fallen friend, for it something tragic happened to him, it would cause a chain-reaction that would shake everything to its core.

* * *

since i doubt i'm going to update tomorrow, this could possibly be the last Copperpelt update in the world (if the Mayans were right about 2012) o.o kind of sad if that's the case. i don't want to stop writing like that. the only reason i would stop writing is because i lost my fingers in some kind of freak accident, not because the world ended. well, if it doesn't end, then i say we celebrate the world not ending! XP **check out my profile for my poll** and read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	36. December 1863: The New Proclamation

_Shun_

Dan and I stood outside of the infirmary tent, both of us in a dead silence. Last month during a defense against Confederate troops trying to take back Chattanooga, Joe had been injured during the battle. The wounds had been rather severe-looking, and I worried that there wouldn't be much that our field doctor could do for our friend.

But Joe had lasted longer than I thought he would have; I was sure he would have died due to injuries or infection a couple of days after the battle. And from what the field doctor had been telling us, our friend was doing pretty well on his recovery.

Although, nobody was allowed in the infirmary tent, mainly due to the fact that the severely injured were inside, and the medics needed all the room and space that they could get their hands on. Whenever somebody from that tent was healed enough to no longer be considered critical, he was sent into another infirmary tent, or back to his own quarters, whichever the medic decided was best for the patient.

As Dan and I sat outside of the infirmary tent waiting to speak with the field doctor and ask how Joe was doing for the day, the brunette ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "This is still all my fault. I promised him that we'd keep him safe. God, now I know why you kept getting on my case about promising something like that," he said guiltily.

I felt bad for Dan. He had made that promise with all the best intentions, and he meant to keep it. But as I had told him when he first made that promise, there was no way we could control the tides of battle; we were at its mercy, it was not at ours.

Dan hadn't seemed to understand the concept of that when he told Joe that we'd make sure he returned home in one piece, and I had been angry and surprised at my friend for saying such a thing. But as the battles drug on, and as we kept surviving them with little to no injuries, I had also fallen into the allusion that we could not be hurt, that we would all return home safe and sound.

Joe's injuries had been a rude awakening for me. They reminded me how unpredictable and ruthless the battlefield could be; all of my time loitering about the Union camps and making it out of battles unscathed had made me forget that vital piece of information.

I knew now that my future battles would always remind me that our fights were dangerous and deadly as ever. Nothing had changed. Things were still the same, and it took the near-death of one of our friends to remind us of that. Suddenly, the field doctor walked out of the tent.

Dan jumped up and stepped in front of the doctor's path. "Hey, we just wanted to know how our friend was doing today," the brunette said in a rushed voice, as if he was afraid that he'd lose sight of the doctor forever. This medic no longer had to ask us who our friend was; we had been here nearly every day since Joe's fall in battle, and the doctor now had our faces memorized.

He pointed over to the tents of the less severely injured and told us, "Your friend was doing well enough that we sent him over to those tents earlier this morning. You're both more than welcome to see him now and get out of my hair so I can continue to do my job."

He waved his hand to try and shoo us away, then walked off towards another tent to check on his other patients. Dan didn't even hesitate to go to that tent after the doctor told us that. I hurried after the brunette before he left me behind and I lost sight of him.

We both stepped into the tent, seeing that there was a decent amount of people inside. Some of them had minor injuries that required nothing but stitches, while others were recovering from broken bones and other minor wounds. Joe was laying on a cot towards the back.

Dan and I maneuvered through the maze of infirmary cots, making sure not to step on the feet of the other injured soldiers that were sitting around. Joe saw us approaching him, and he used his hands to push himself up into a sitting position. He smiled and said, "Hey, guys. They finally let you see me?"

I nodded, knowing that Dan was still a bit too guilt-stricken to think clearly; this had been a person who he had promised a human life to, and nearly lost it. My eyes caught sight of Joe's injured leg. It was wrapped tightly with bandages and propped up on a pillow. I asked him, "So, how bad are the injuries?"

Joe glanced down at his wounded limb and frowned. "The doc said that it wasn't bad enough to amputate….Thank heavens for that….But he said that odds are I won't be able to walk on that leg again…." I could see the hurt in Joe's eyes, and hear it in his voice as well.

The war had taken something from him, but at least he was optimistic about it not taking everything from him. I was sure that the dirty-blonde was thankful for being alive, even if it meant that he'd have to be on crutches for the rest of his life. Joe then shot a smile up at Dan and I and said, "But, hey, the good news is that I'm no longer considered fit for combat. I get to go home on honorable discharge and go back to Chan."

His eyes, which had been dark and cast down with the thought of his injury, were now lit up and filled with happiness. Chan, Joe's fiancée, had been all our friend could think of and talk about since the war started. He had been torn away from her, forced to enter the war through the means of a draft, like me.

Except I hadn't left behind something as dear as a future wife, but I had left behind my only remaining family member; I didn't even bother to tell the old man, but he eventually found out. Dan smiled sadly and said to Joe, "Hey, I told you that Shun and I would make sure you returned back to her in one piece."

Joe laughed and added, "Yeah, but I'm cutting it a bit close on the one piece thing, aren't I?" He motioned towards his injured leg for added emphasis, but he still wore a smile. I asked, "So, when are they sending you home?" Joe's smile only grew wider.

"They're sending me back just in time for Christmas. That's going to surprise Chan, for sure." I found myself smiling when I told him, "I bet so." In a way, I kind of envied Joe for being able to return home, but I was also glad for him.

His biggest fear had been never returning home to his fiancée, but now that fear could be quieted, once and for all. So what if I was unable to go home until the end of the war? I'd just continue to push through it as I had done thus far, and revel in the wonderful day when it all came to an end.

_Klaus_

I sat around the camp. Things had been anything but quiet after our humiliating defeat at Gettysburg. And none had taken that defeat worse than General Lee. Our commander had spent several days after the battle, ranting out-loud and asking up to the heavens where he had gone wrong and been defeated.

But thankfully, Lee's tyrant had come to an end, but I could still see in his face that it was still bothering him that the Union had beaten him in battle. The camp, quiet for the what felt like the first time in months, was disrupted by the sound of a young soldier running up to the common area of the camp, a letter of some sorts in his hands.

He was flailing the parchment above his head to gather the attention of the soldiers around him. A small crowd, including me, gathered around him. On the other side, I caught a glimpse of Jones in the crowd. He had betrayed the Union and joined the Confederacy's side in the war, and he had proven to be very useful in battle.

But some of the troops were still unsure about the brute, but I was not. I saw that he was a skilled fighter in battle, one that was ruthless towards his fellow man. That was what was needed at times during the war. I tore my attention from the ex-Union soldier and back to the man that was waving the letter around.

Somebody shouted to him, "Well, stop your funny business and read the damn thing already!" The young soldier nodded and unfolded the paper.

He then began to read, " It has come to the Union President's attention that this war has gone on far longer than many people expected. He knows that many on both sides want it to end and for things to fall back into a state of normality. So, to achieve this goal of ending the war, President Lincoln has created the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. Included in this Proclamation is a pardon for any Southerner that has participated in the rebellion against the Union. Anyone, this includes traitors to the Union but excludes those that rank higher than Colonel or Lieutenant, will be pardoned, their property, minus slaves, given back, and their rights as Union citizens returned if the interested party takes a prescribed oath to the Union."

The young soldier was about to continue his reading when Lee approached our crowd. He said in a booming and commanding voice, "If you desire to turn your back on your homeland and disgrace what should rightfully be yours, then go ahead. I care not, but remember that it will be your fault it this great Confederacy crumbles."

With that, the General turned on his heels and went back to his tent. Silence befell over the crowd, then whispers began to erupt into loud conversations. Some soldiers were debating the thought of getting out of the war, and some were awed with the promise of being forgiven and excluded from punishment of war crimes.

But others were unsure about what they should do. Some wanted to leave the war, but didn't want to turn their backs on the Confederacy and be responsible for its decay. I found myself glancing back at Jones again. This Proclamation would also pardon him if he wanted, seeing as he was a traitor to the Union.

Was he thinking about taking President Lincoln up on his offer? Just as if Jones had heard my thoughts, he answered my silent questions. "Like hell I'm going to take the pity of the Union! What arrogance! I left and joined the Confederacy to try and put and end to their holier-than-thou mindset! And the Confederacy will have to fall before I even consider going back to the Union!"

A roar of applause and agreements erupted from the crowd of gathered soldiers. Jones' words had quelled any doubts that were forming in most of the soldiers' minds. Although, I had a feeling several might take the President's pardon, there wouldn't be many to amount to anything.

Quite frankly, I also had no desire to leave this war. I could have cared less about returning to the Union; I had my own reasons for entering the war, and when those reasons came to truth, then I would leave if possible.

But until that Yankee that took everything away from me paid for his actions, I would remain in this war. That was my reason for fighting, and I would adhere to them with pride.

_Shun_

Dan and I stood on the train platform, each of us holding a luggage bag. Ahead of us, was Joe. He was to go home today, and we had promised to help get his belongings onto the train. Our friend used his crutches to turn himself around and face us. "I can't believe I'm really going home," he said in a dreamlike way.

Dan set down the duffle-bag he was carrying and told Joe, "If anyone deserves to go back, it's you. And I say that with all of the utmost respect." Joe thanked the brunette and the train blared its whistle to announce that it would be leaving soon.

Our friend never tore his gaze from the train when he said, "It's actually coming to an end for me. At long last." Dan walked up behind the dirty-blonde and patted his back, nearly causing Joe to lose his balance on his crutches. Dan muttered an apology then said, "Sure is, buddy."

As I stood there, I found it amusing how Dan had gone from disliking Joe at the beginning, to becoming a close friend. It was funny how the war actually had something good come out of it. The train blew its whistle another time, and a conductor announced that it would be departing soon.

Other soldiers with injuries that prevented them from fighting, climbed onto the train. Joe said to us, "Well, looks like it's time for me to leave. I'll keep in touch. And stay safe out there. Don't want anyone else ending up like me." Dan and I nodded and watched as Joe walked on his crutches and boarded the train.

Soon, the massive engineering creation began to move and rolled out of the station, leaving Dan and I behind. I said to my friend, "Well, we best be getting back to camp." The brunette nodded and we began to short walk back. As we walked, I could hear the sounds of gunfire and mortars tearing into the earth out in the distance.

I flinched a couple of times at the thundering noise, still in a bit of a shellshock from the previous battle. Dan looked out towards where the sounds of battle were. I found myself hoping that this battle would not require our assistance, for I was in no condition to go into another fight yet.

With that in mind, we hurried back to the camp, somewhat fearing that the fighting might migrate over to our location. Once we were in the confines of the Union stronghold, I saw that things were resuming as if nothing was happening out in the distance.

I walked up to a soldier and asked him, "What's all the commotion over that way?" He looked out towards the location of the obvious battle taking place and told me, "Word is that some rebel division led by James Longstreet is trying to take Knoxville. The men there could have probably held there own there, but Grant didn't want to take any chances and lose some of this Tennessee territory, so he sent Sherman as back-up. I'm sure the fighting will be over with before nightfall."

I had never heard of the name Longstreet, so I assumed he wasn't much of a threat to our hold on Tennessee. No longer worrying about being thrown back into battle, I retreated to my tent for the evening. And as I laid on my cot with my eyes closed as I tried to get in a few extra hours of sleep, I heard the fighting cease right at nightfall, just as that soldier had said.

* * *

aw. no reviews for the past couple of chapters? i kind of feel hurt. -does sad face- well, on a brighter note, the world didnt end, so the stories will continue! woo! _**vote on my poll if you have not!**_ read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	37. January 1864: The Good From The Bad

_Alice_

When I woke one morning, I was greeting with the sweet sound of silence. It seemed like for the past several months, all I had heard was gun and canon fire. Now, there was nothing. I threw the covers off of me and slid out of the ratty bed that I had been sleeping in, and walked over towards the window.

Outside, it appeared that some of the soldiers that left for Grant's camp were returning to the Union occupied town. There were fewer than last time, but that was to be expected; they did go into battle. The smiles they wore on their faces told me that all had gone well during their stand against the Confederacy.

Since the fighting was now over for the time being, I kind of wanted to return to the Union camp in order to thank Grant for helping me out in my time of need. I was sure that the General wouldn't mind if I stopped by for a moment and exchanged a few words of thanks.

I at least wanted to do that before I left this Union occupied town and continued on my journey up North. I should have been gone a while ago, but with all of the battles taking place within the confines of this territory, I was too afraid to try and slip across the state-line due to risk of running into a battlefield.

But now, the fighting was no more, leaving an open gateway to the North. Deciding that the sooner I went to speak with Grant, the sooner I would get moving, I left my ramshackle temporary home and stepped outside. It was bitter cold for a Southern winter, but the weather was always surprising at times in the South.

I wrapped my shawl tightly around my upper body as a means to retain some warmth, and walked over to where I had tied the reigns of my horse to a post. I mounted the horse and popped the reigns, commanding the animal to move. Steering the horse towards the camp, I kept a tight grip on my shawl.

At that moment, I wished that I had more clothing to keep me warm, but I had only the clothes that I left with on my back. Because I left so suddenly from my home, and in a fit of rage, I had not grabbed a single one of my belongings.

For some reason, I had this strange feeling that anything that may have been mine, was now gone, thrown out by my distraught parents that were most likely tired of my rebellious actions. They might not even claim to know me now. But even with that possibility, I was going to hold my head up high.

That was my old life, one that I refused to go back to. Without realizing, I rode into the Union camp. A soldier that was standing guard approached me and asked kindly, "Do you need something, ma'am?" I halted the horse and responded with, "I was just wondering if I could speak to General Grant? He helped me out a while back, and I just wanted to express my thanks and gratitude to him."

The soldier nodded and pointed out into the camp. "He's in the large tent in the center of the camp. If he's not there, then he may be out patrolling the camp and seeing how things are going." I nodded and thanked the soldier for his help. Popping the reigns, I navigated my way through a maze of tents until I found the one that the soldier spoke of.

It was a massive tent, one that could have only been fit for the commander of the Union army. I dismounted the horse and found a place to tie the reigns off, then approached the tent. Cautiously, I peered inside of the tent, and sure enough, I found who I was looking for.

Grant was sitting at a field desk, examining letters and battle plans, from what I could gather. I cleared my throat, and the man turned around. He looked at me for a moment, then recognized who I was. "Oh, it's you, ma'am. I thought you would have left the area sometime ago. Why are you here, might I ask? Are you in some kind of trouble again?"

I found it strange how everyone assumed that the men of the South were gentlemen, when most of the Northerners I had met were much more chivalrous than anything the South had produced. I smiled and shook my head.

"No, I'm in no kind of trouble. I just wanted to stop by before I left and thank you for helping me a while back. It meant a lot to me." Grant smiled and told me, "It was not a problem." I would be thankful to this man for a very long time, for if it had not been for him, then I could have died out there in that field, or stumbled upon a battle and be killed.

Many things could have happened to me, but they were prevented because of this man from the Union. Grant stood up and said to me, "Here, let me give you directions to the nearest Union town across the state-line." I thanked Grant once more.

He sat down at his field desk and pointed to the chair across from him, which was where I took my seat. Grant sat there with a map of the United States on his desk, and he pointed out the quickest and safest route for me. The route he told me about, led me right into Kentucky.

He then told me, "Where you go from there, is completely up to you. It's all Union there, so you should have no worries of being captured for treason." I nodded and looked back down to the map, memorizing my future path of travel. I stayed in the tent with Grant for a little while longer, making small-talk and hearing his wartime stories. In return, I actually shared some of mine.

I told him about the hardships that I had to deal with in the South, and how it was because of me that my ex-fiancé had joined the war in an attempt to get revenge on the certain Union soldier that he had seen me with that night. I even told Grant how my emotions had got the best of me and caused me to enter into a battle, which was actually under his command.

The General was surprised to know that a woman was in attendance at the Battle Of Shiloh. At first, I believe he thought me to be making that up, but as I gave him details that only a person in attendance of the battle would know, he saw I was telling him the truth.

Grant said to me, "You must have really cared about that soldier if you followed him into battle." I felt a slight blush cross my face. "Yeah, I guess you could say that, sir. I don't know where he's at now, or even if he's still alive. So many battles have taken place since that last time I saw him."

Grant grinned slightly and told me, "War is a very temperamental thing. It seems that people never know what's happened until it's all over with. They don't realize what's still there and what's been taken away." I related Grant's words to some of the things that had happened to me in my life.

As the General had just said, some people don't realize what's happened until it's all over with. Such a thing happened to me when Klaus caught me with Shun that night. I didn't realize the full repercussions of my actions until Klaus confronted me and made them known.

I found myself glancing out of the tent flaps and saw that it was starting to grow dark. "I really should start going. It's a long journey ahead of me," I told the General. He nodded to me in understanding and wished me safe travels.

I thanked him once more for all of the help he had offered to me, a complete stranger from the Confederacy that was on the run for treason. I stepped out from the tent and returned to where I had left my horse. I was just about to mount the steed when something caught my eye. Across from me and standing by a tent, was Shun.

_Shun_

It felt strange with Joe gone. In a way, the feeling that he had died lingered in the air, but I knew better. Joe was fine. He had recovered to the fullest extent and was sent back home up North. Dan and I even received a letter from Joe a few days ago.

Enclosed was a picture of him and Chan on their wedding day. Joe was still on crutches, and would most likely be on them for the rest of his life. But even with that little fact, Joe's smile had been true in that picture. He was happy to be back with the person that he loved.

There had also been a letter on the back of the picture that was written from Chan. In the letter, she was thanking Dan and I for keeping an eye out for Joe and making sure that he returned to her safely. Her words were filled with a gratitude that was endless.

Knowing that Dan and I had done a good thing for looking out for this soldier, that at the beginning of the war was a trembling mess, filled us both with pride. It was the best deed that we could have ever possibly done, and it proved that there could be happy endings, even during a war. At the moment, Dan and I were standing outside of a tent, braving the nipping cold air of winter.

He then sat down on the ground and said, "I still haven't gotten used to the fact that Joe really isn't here at the camp anymore." I leaned against a tree that was a few feet away from the tent and told him, "Yeah. It's going to take some getting used to."

Words stopped being exchanged between us as we sat there and let the wintry silence fill the air once more. My eyes then caught sight of a flash of bright orange. A wave of surprise hit me when I saw that it was Alice. She was walking out of Grant's tent and towards a horse.

She was just about to climb onto the animal, when her eyes locked onto me from across the commons area. I blinked a couple of times, wondering if I really was seeing her or if my mind was playing tricks on me. But the idea that I may have been going crazy was put to a rest when Dan said, "Hey, isn't that your girl?"

_So, she is here, _I thought to myself. Alice stepped away from the horse a bit and said, "Shun?" Before her words could really sink in, she ran up to me and wrapped her arms tightly around me in a hug. It all finally occurred to me what was happening, and I returned the embrace. Dan jumped up and stood beside us.

"Hey, what about me? I don't get a hug?" he asked in an appalled tone. Alice and I broke our embrace, and she looked over to Dan, then giggled. "I'm sorry, Dan," she told him with a smile then gave him a friendly hug. The brunette smiled and said, "There. That's more like it."

I rolled my eyes then turned my attention back to Alice. "What are you doing here?" I asked. Normally, I would have been telling Alice that this place wasn't safe and that she had to leave, but I was so happy to see her after such a long time, that the thought of danger was nowhere in my thoughts.

With my question asked, Alice's smile vanished somewhat. She told me, "I….I ran from home…You see, I was feed up with it all and ended up saying that…..My allegiance was with the Union and not the South. So, I ran because I was afraid that I would be arrested for treason. That's why I'm here."

She paused for a moment then continued. "I was trying to get to the Union, but ended up getting kind of lost and stumbled into this camp a couple of months go. I was tired, hungry, and weak, but Grant helped me out. He got me some medical attention and everything. But it was later on that night when I woke up and there was a nighttime assault on the camp. Grant ran to me and told me that I had to get away from this place, and he told me of a Union occupied town a few miles up. That's where I've been up till now."

I couldn't believe that fate had found a way to bring Alice and I together once again. _If only they were under different circumstances, _I thought to myself. She was on the run, a criminal in the South's eyes. I asked her, "Where are you going now?" She adjusted the shawl that was wrapped around her.

"I'm going to follow the directions Grant gave me and flee to Kentucky to get out of the South for good." I didn't like seeing Alice given so few options, but perhaps that it was for the best that she stuck with the only choice she had; it was much better than being arrested for treason.

I took her petite hand in mine and said to her, "I'm sorry for all the bad luck that has befallen you." She smiled and told me, "It's alright. All of it will come to an end eventually." Dan, who I forgot was standing next to us, spoke and reminded us of his presence.

"Well, I think I'm going to let you two catch up. See ya around." He then walked off somewhere else in the camp. I turned back to face Alice and said to her, "How about we go back to that town you were staying at? That way we can catch up and spend some time together before you leave for Kentucky. How about it?"

I couldn't tell if there was a slight blush on her face, or if the cold air was starting to get to her. "Alright," she replied. I told her to wait for me at the edge of the camp while I went to borrow one of the Calvary horses. She nodded and mounted her own horse and rode off through the tents.

It didn't take me more than a few minutes to catch up with her, and the two of us rode to the Union occupied town side by side. As we went along our way, I asked her, "What other things have happened?" She pondered my question for a moment and said, "Well, since I last saw you at Shiloh, a lot of things. My Grandfather met an untimely end."

I could see the hurt in her eyes, and I offered her my most sincerest condolences. She smiled at me and said, "Thank you. Let's see what else has happened. I ended up getting arrested for trespassing, but thankfully nobody found out what I was really doing."

I asked her what had been her real motives when she was arrested. She told me, "I was helping a friend free slaves from his parent's plantation. I know, it was a foolish move, but I needed to get my mind off of my Grandfather's death. A bit after that, my friend was actually arrested as well and was about to be hung, but I freed him from jail before his execution. He ended up running away, and I don't know where he is now."

I was surprised how upside down everything had gotten for Alice. When we first met, I thought the extent of her problems was dealing with a man she didn't want to marry, and being caught with me by him. But I was wrong about that.

Things had only continued to get worse for her since the war and meeting me. I wondered if any of those things would have happened to her if she had never met me. Suddenly, I felt like I was the cause of all of her misfortune, that I was some kind of plague that was causing her life to crumble.

If she had never met me and gone to that party, then Klaus would have never seen us together and gone off the deep end, she would have never run off all those times, and she wouldn't have followed me to Shiloh and gotten herself into a battle.

Alice must have picked up on my distress, for she asked me, "Is something wrong?" I sighed and looked up at the darkening sky. "I was just thinking that perhaps your life would have been better off if you had never met me, that maybe all of those bad things wouldn't have happened," I told her honestly.

Alice looked at me with sad and surprised eyes, but they suddenly lit up, and a smile graced her features. "Shun, I don't blame you for anything that's happened to me. If anything, I should thank you." I was caught off guard by her last statement. "Thank me? But I basically uprooted your life," I told her.

She giggled and told me, "Shun, if it hadn't been for you, then I would have probably married Klaus and been miserable. I would have never done all of the reckless things I have, but I also wouldn't have had any fun. Things would be bored and awful if I hadn't met you."

My doubts that I had, were suddenly obliterated by her words. I found myself smiling. "Thank you," she said. I realized that we had finally arrived at the Union occupied town. She told me, "I can show you the place where I was staying. It's been abandoned for sometime, so nobody cared if I was there."

I followed her until we reached an old slave home. There were several like it in a large cluster, making it look like its own small town. Alice then dismounted the horse and tied its reigns to a post. She told me, "I guess one more night here won't kill me. Besides, it's way too late to go and do any traveling now."

I climbed off of my own horse and tied its reigns next to Alice's horse. She leaned against the decaying wood wall of the shack and looked up at the sky that was starting to come alive with stars. I joined her side and looked up with her. It was so nice to see her again, to be with her again.

It provided me a release from the stress of the war and all of the death and pain. It reminded me that there still was happiness in a world of war. I asked her, "So, do you know where exactly you're going to go once you reach Kentucky?"

Alice shook her head and told me, "No. I might stay there for a bit, but it's still a slave state, so I don't want that much to do with it. I might continue to go up North, or wander around for a bit." We both stood there in silence for a moment, the only sounds coming from soldiers talking nearby or the nocturnal insects of the South.

I then told her, "I don't know if we'll see each other again for a while, but I promise you this. Once this war is over, I'll find you. That way, we don't have to keep meeting under these circumstances. We could finally be together."

She smiled up at the stars, then turned her smile to me. Pushing her back off against the wall of the shack, she intertwined her fingers with me and said, "I believe you, Shun. But since our next meeting's time is unknown, I ask of one thing."

I looked at her and said, "Yes?" She laid her head on my chest and told me, "One night. That's all I ask. I want to be reminded that everything will be, or is, alright in the world. That good things can still come out of the bad." I smiled a bit and wrapped my arms around her. "Of course," I told her, bringing face up to meet mine so I could place a kiss on her lips.

* * *

i leave that on a little moment. i think it was a good thing that i paused this story to write my zombie fic, cause it gave me plenty of time to take a break and get some new ideas flowing. **_check out my poll _**if you have not. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	38. February 1864: Survival Of The Fittest

_Shun_

Alice the morning after our night together; she stated that it was urgent that she get a move on and head up to Kentucky as Grant had instructed her. I hadn't protested, even thought I kind of wanted to, for I had no idea when I might see her again, if ever.

I recalled how the night before I made the promise that after the war, I'd find her. There was no telling how long that could take; she could have gone anywhere in the North during the current time and whenever the war ended. But if Dan could make a nearly impossible promise and keep it, then so could I, right?

For the time being, I was back at the camp, awaiting our next orders. It felt like after the bloody events of the Chattanooga Campaign, battles had started to erupt all over the South, and they were in full swing. I didn't have much knowledge of how they were going at the time, but I knew that there would be letters sent to Grant shortly after the battles, telling their outcomes.

To pass the time until orders came in, I walked around the camp, paying attention to details that I hadn't noticed till now. Such details like the expressions of some of the soldiers. Some of their faces were blank, and rather difficult to read, but others were like open books.

You could see in their eyes that many of them were here fighting for something, whether it be their freedom, or to protect their home from possible Confederate dominance. As I saw this, I couldn't help but wonder if I was the open book, or the unreadable one.

Up until now, I hadn't had anything to fight for back home, and still didn't. But with Alice clearly in the picture now, I had a reason to keep fighting and making sure that I stayed alive till the end of the war, for I was going to do everything in my power to keep my promise. Suddenly, a hand slammed down on my shoulder, startling me and causing me to jump a bit.

When I turned around to see who it was, I saw it had been Dan. "Hey, buddy. How's it going?" he asked and took his hand off of my shoulder, then stepped in front of me. I shrugged and said, "Alright, I guess." He then draped his arm over my shoulder and had a sly look in his eyes.

Dan then said to me, "You know, I haven't really seen you around the camp since Alice showed up here last month. You've gotten all shady. Must've been some night." He raised his eyebrows a bit as he continued to pry. I cut him and glare and told him, "Regardless, it's none of your concern."

Dan took his arm off of my shoulders and laughed a bit. "Aw, now, come on. I'm just picking on ya, Shun. Can you blame me? I mean, my friend's finally growing up," he said with a sly grin and nudged me a bit. My glare at him only intensified, but I also felt my face heat up a bit, which fueled my momentary anger towards the ignorant brunette.

I stepped away from him and said flatly, "Don't get mad at me if I trip you on the next battlefield." Dan rolled his eyes and told me, "You wouldn't do that to me…..Right?" I grinned evilly and started to walk off, leaving Dan behind me. I heard him yell at me, "You really wouldn't do that, right? Come on, Shun! Tell me!"

I turned down another row of tents, making sure that I was out of Dan's sight; I was going to let his paranoia eat at him for a bit as a means of revenge. But I was surprised when I encountered one of Jones' old 'friends.' It was Mathis, who might as well been a carbon copy of Jones before he betrayed us.

The oily, black-haired man was helping fix a fallen tent, and when he got the last stake in the ground, he glanced over and saw me. I had a special hatred for this guy, for he had tried to help Jones hurt Alice a while back. But after Jones' betrayal, we all began to notice that Mathis acted differently.

Although, that didn't completely change my outlook on him; he still tried to hurt Alice, and that was all I needed to see what kind of person Mathis was. "Morning," he said calmly as he wiped the dirt off his hands and onto his pants. "Morning," I replied flatly.

There had been one time when Mathis and my group of friends had actually spoken to each other like civilized people, and that was only because we were helping load supplies to be sent to a nearby battle. On any other occasion, things might have turned ugly.

I started to walk past Mathis, but stopped when he said, "Still pissed at me for what Jones and I did to your little friend. I don't blame you," he told me. For a second, I thought I had picked up a hint of regret and guilt in his voice. I turned around and said stoically, "Quite. You tried to hurt somebody that was defenseless, and you all seemed mighty proud of it."

Mathis sighed and told me, "Trust me, pal, I've done a many of thing I'm not proud of. What Jones tried to get us to do to that girl, is no exception either." I turned so my back would face the oily-haired man. "So, why'd you do those things then if they brought so much guilt to you?" I asked harshly, but still kept my voice calm.

The last thing I needed to do was lose my temper in the camp and start something that I didn't want to finish. Mathis told me, "I was forced into it. During these kinds of things, the strong normally survive. So, it only made sense for me to be around those that would most likely make it out of the war, even if that meant doing a few things along the way to hold my place within the group."

It made sense when I thought about it. Jones was strong, and obviously skilled in fighting, making him all the more likely to make it out of a battle. And when compared to somebody like Joe, who should have been killed after the first or second battle, this survival of the fittest theory made all the more sense.

Mathis shook his head and told me, "All I'm trying to do is right what wrongs I've sewn, before they all catch up to me." I couldn't help but wonder what had given Mathis such a sudden change of heart over what he has done, but it then hit me; he hadn't really wanted to do any of those things.

It was only a means to make it back to his home, and most likely back to a family he had left behind in the war. With that realization in my mind, I found it rather difficult to hold onto all of my hatred for Mathis, but some of it was still there.

His apologies didn't change the fact that he tried to hurt Alice, despite whether or not he was doing it to make sure he made it out of the war. I finally said, "You can ask for forgiveness all you want, and people may forgive you as well, but that doesn't change their memories of what you've done in their lives.

The world is filled with hollow words. Keep that in mind before you go and take them to heart." With that being said, I continued on down the rows of tents, leaving Mathis where I had found him. Behind me, I didn't hear him say another word, and I had a feeling that my words had offered him a realization into how the world really worked.

In a way, I didn't want any tragedies to befall him during the war; I didn't want any to befall anyone else, for that matter. So much life had already been lost and altered, and any more would just be one too many. But if fate was going to get Mathis back for the crimes he committed, then so be it. Who was I to try and alter fate?

_Shun_

Towards the end of the month, Grant got word of how things had gone in several battles in the South. As I had previously stated, it felt like an explosion of battles broke out during the month of February, and I had not been over-exaggerating.

Sherman, who had been sent off for battle back in Mississippi at the beginning of the month, had taken the city of Meridian, and word was that they were hard at work dismantling the railroad lines and destroying trains as a means to help cripple the supply lines to the Confederates fighting elsewhere.

Winning the Battle of Meridian had brought forth a bit of an advantage to the Union, but it seemed like the North had lost more battles this month than any other time, such as the Battle of Okolona and the First Battle of Dalton. There had been heavy bloodshed at those two, and the Union had been given no choice but to retreat.

Although, there apparently was a more major loss that we suffered from; the Battle of Olustee in Florida. The Confederates had total control over Florida, and the Union had their eyes set on the state. But once there, it was clear that the Union wasn't going to be able to take it, no matter what they did.

And this proved to be true, for even one of the iron-clad warships of the Union had been sunk, which was of much of a surprise to Grant. I could feel the doubt starting to creep along our Union camp. What if the tides were turning for the Rebels, and everything up until now had been a fluke?

_We can't start thinking like that, _I told myself, for I knew that if those thoughts took hold of the camp, then we would end up losing the war for real. I walked past Grant's tent. He was standing outside, Sherman with him from where he had returned from the Meridian Campaign.

I had to admit, Sherman was intimidating, not only on a battlefield, but also in person. He and Grant were talking, and I caught bits of their conversation. "We're going to have to start cracking down on battle techniques and strategy. No more of this running into battle blindly," Sherman said sternly.

Grant nodded. "I agree, William. It's time to start cracking down on our fighting style….We can't afford to lose this war. Not after how far we've come along in it," Grant said flatly.

Before I was seen eavesdropping on the General's conversation, I left and started to head back towards my tent, unable to shake the feeling that some major changes were about to come to our camp, and the rest of the Union at that.

* * *

baaaack (on this story at least). i hope everyone had an awesome, and safe, Christmas! check out my poll please! read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	39. March 1864: The Unknown Future

_Alice_

I stayed in Kentucky a bit longer than I thought I would. Much to my surprise, the people there were rather friendly, despite the fact that they still held slaves. From what I had gathered, Kentucky remained neutral throughout the length of the war, siding with neither the North or South.

Yet, the Union laid claim to them in a strange way. The way this worked, was that Kentucky remained part of the Union, in return, they kept their rights to hold slaves. It didn't really matter to me all that much; all that did matter was the fact that I was officially out of the South and safe. But it was a given that I didn't want to officially plant my stakes here in Kentucky, for I still didn't believe in the holding of slaves.

In the meantime, I would have to settle for this state until I figured out where I would move to next. At the moment, I was staying at a local inn as I contemplated my next move. There were several places I could go, but there was a fear lingering in the back of my mind how kindly the Northerners would take a runaway Southern into their homes.

Sure, I had met many Northerners that were more than kind to me, but there were also a few that weren't so kind. Like the ones back at the Union camp that I had snuck into and attended the Battle of Shiloh at. They had tried to harm me, and if it hadn't been for Shun stepping in and helping me, they might have done a lot more than just hurt me.

I shuddered at that memory, and quickly tried to think of something else that didn't bring a sickening taste to my mouth. My thoughts then wandered off to when I saw Shun a little while back, and a smile formed on my lips. That time felt like the happiest I had been since the war began, and I wished to relive it over and over again, but I knew I would have to wait till the war ended.

Knowing this put a damper on my elated mood, because I had no idea when the war would finally stop. I recalled that the first couple of months of it, the North thought that this war wouldn't take but a couple of months, but they had been incredibly wrong.

The Union had misjudged the fight and determination of the South, and now the war had gone on for more than four years. For all I knew, the war could go on for another four years, and still not be anywhere near ending. I sighed, fearing that things would never get any better than they were now.

But I had to stay positive; no war was every won with negative thoughts. Things would eventually have to end, even if that end was brought on by the collapse of the country and the very ground it was built on. _If that's what it takes, _I thought to myself. It was a grim thought, but it was the truth.

If the war kept going like it was, there would soon be nothing left to fight on. Either that, or nobody left to fight. I walked over to my room's window and looked out into the vast Kentucky landscape. Yeah, a couple of battles had been fought on this land, but other than that, it was virtually untouched, and this surprised me.

I thought that there was no place left that hadn't been affected by the war, but this proved me wrong. This told me that there were still little pockets of peace in the world. I found it all truly amazing, and it gave me a sense of release to know this.

I turned away from the window, the tattered ends of my dress brushing against a table that sat nearby. Spread out on my bed was the map that Grant gave me in order to make sure I arrived safely in Kentucky. I picked up the large piece of parchment that had a drawing of the United States.

All of the states that were present at the time, were distinguished as either Confederate or Union. Just by looking at the map and where I was at, I still felt like I was dangerously close to my enemies back in the South, even though I was miles and miles away from them; there was a big difference between the distance in reality and the distance on the map.

My eyes then fell on a state that was just off-kilter to Kentucky; Ohio. It was Union, and as far as I knew, they no longer held slaves. To me, it sounded as good a place to go to next as any. But I knew that it would be a dangerous trek to that state, being that it was still wintertime, and that far up North would be swamped with snow, but I had to keep moving and find someplace that was safe enough for me to call a temporary home.

At least, until the war ended and Shun lived up to his promise of finding me afterwards. I had taken that promise to heart, but when I thought about it, what would I do if he perished in a battle? I might not ever know about his death, and then I would be left waiting for him to show up for the remainder of my life, or at least until I discovered that he was never leaving the war.

I had to keep believing that he would make it out of the war in one piece; he had made it this far, and through the bloodiest of conflicts. I glanced out of my room window. It was still early morning, a good time to get a move on and continue on my journey.

Before I started to lose daylight, I quickly packed my few belongings up and ran downstairs to the inn-keeper. She smiled at me and said, "Leaving already, miss?" I nodded as I handed over my room key. "Yes, ma'am. You see, I figured out where I'm going next."

The inn-keeper smiled back and hung the room key up on its hook. "Well, have a safe journey, miss," she told me while scratching my name out of the guest book. I thanked her for her well-wishes and then left the inn. Outside, snow was starting to fall and accumulate on the ground.

My horse was tied up in the town stables in order to be shielded from the chilly weather. As I hurried to the stables, I passed by the town's post office, and a sudden longing of home hit me. I tried to shake it away, but I couldn't get rid of it. It then occurred to me that perhaps I should at least let my friends know that I was alright.

The last that they had seen or heard of me, had been at that party when I finally snapped and admitted my loyalty to the Union, and that was it. I hadn't really given them a proper good-bye, much less let them know where I was going, for at the time, even I didn't know where my path would take me. Unconsciously, I walked into the post office and to the man behind the desk.

"How may I help you?" he asked while counting the money from the register. I asked him, "I would like to send a letter. Do you happen by chance have a pen and paper I could use?" The man scribbled something down, then leaned back and reached into a box, pulling out a blank piece of parchment and a pen.

He handed them to me, and I thanked him. The man only nodded and went back to his counting. I strode over to a table and began to write my letter home, making sure not to give away a precise location, but still made sure that my friends had a good idea as to where I was at.

When my letter was finished and to the point that I was comfortable with what I had written, I folded it and went over to a box that was filled with blank envelops, and carefully placed the letter inside. From there, I returned back to the desk and handed the letter to the man, along with the mailing fee that I owed him.

He glanced down at the address I wrote on the envelop, and looked at me strangely. "You're mailing this to the South?" he asked curiously. I nodded and replied, "I have some friends back there that I left behind unannounced. Is that a problem, sir?"

The man shook his head and told me, "Just curious. I'll get it mailed as soon as possible." I thanked him and left from the post office, reminding myself what I had been doing previously, which was going to retrieve my horse. I arrived at the stables, and told the stable-boy which one was mine.

He then vanished within the building, and reappeared, my horse in tow. I thanked him and he handed the horse over to me. Now that I had my horse back, I loaded my few belongings onto its saddlebags, then climbed onto the back of the animal. And as I got my sense of direction, I dug my heels into the animal's side, and set off for my next destination.

_Shun_

Talk around camp was booming with political conversations; it was nearing up on election season again, and the legendary President Lincoln was shooting for a second term. And just like before, I cared very little for any of the political talk, and was more than eager for it all to come to an end.

People were saying that Lincoln was going to win because all of the good that he had done, but others argued with these statements. They said that Lincoln's opponent, George B. McClellan, would win because of some of the brash decisions that the current President made that many didn't agree with.

Nonetheless, I knew I would have to deal with all of this talk until November rolled around and the election took place. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dan approaching me. He was waving his hand above his head, shouting my name to try and get my attention that he unknowingly had.

"Hey, Shun, did-" he started, but I cut him off. "Enough with the election talk, Dan. Please. I've had enough of it," I said coldly. Dan had been just as engulfed with the whole election thing as everyone else, if not more. Dan stared at me for a moment, then replied, "I wasn't going to talk about that this time. I had some other news."

I stared at him for a moment, then felt somewhat bad for snapping at him. But could anyone blame me for jumping to the conclusion that he was going to babble on about the election? No, I didn't think so. "Sorry," I told him, "carry on."

Dan nodded and told me, "Grant just got promoted to Lieutenant General and now has command over all of the armies of the Union. Along with Sherman, who just gained control over half of the armies that are stationed in the South. I'm telling ya, buddy, things are going to start turning around in this war. I can feel it."

I thought about the last time Dan had one of this sure-fire 'feelings' and remembered that it had been about there definitely being a war. And sadly, he had been right. Perhaps he would be right about the tides changing for the better and bringing an end to all of the fighting.

I casually told Dan, "Then we'll have to congratulate Grant on his accomplishment when he returns back to camp." The brunette nodded in agreement then ran off somewhere else in the camp, probably to tell somebody else about Grant and Sherman.

As I stood by my tent, I could help but also feel that the winds held a different ambiance. Perhaps, things were about to start changing, but whether they were for better or for the worse, only time would tell.

* * *

coffee...wearing...off...-falls over- read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	40. April 1864: Battle Cry

_Grant_

My promotion had been quite an honor; out of ever Commander and Major in the Union army, I was chosen to lead them all. And I wanted to do the best job possible, of course. The war was no riding on my shoulders, after all. One faulty move, and things could benefit the Confederacy, rather than the Union.

Although I was now in charge of the Union armies, I honestly didn't feel all that much pressure and stress; I would continue to run things like I had been doing with my smaller divisions and make adjustments when needed. It sounded like the best strategy at the time, but I would still have to step up and become the spearhead of the war; the one that everyone was going to depend on for guidance.

And time was of the essence now, meaning that the sooner that battle plans were drawn, the better. Eager to get things moving, I called for Sherman and George Meade to accompany me into my tent. The two did as I asked of them and joined me in the confines of the canvas canopy.

Sherman, who had just been given control of half of the Union armies in the South, was the first to ask, "What did you call us in here for, General?" Meade sat beside Sherman, remaining quiet as high superiors spoke. I cleared my throat and walked over to a map of the United States that was framed and hung on the wall of my tent.

"As you both know, I've been given the prestigious and demanding job of commanding all of the Union armies. It is a job that I cannot do entirely on my own, meaning that I will need help. And I cannot think of anyone better to lend me a hand than you two. Both of you have proven yourselves more than capable on the battlefield," I said formally.

What I told them was the truth, despite how many battles the two may have won or lost. Sherman, a fierce fighter on the battlefield, was certainly of use to me. And although Meade had his faults and failures in battles, he was rather good at coming up at strategic formations; he just never got the chance to put them in action at times.

Sherman spoke up again, his voice steady and calloused. "Your point, sir?" he asked. I held my hands behind my back as I stepped away from the framed map, then took a seat across from my two allies. I told them, "I have a request of the two of you, and of your soldiers."

I could feel my own expression turning serious. What I was about to ask of these two, could jeopardize their lives, along with many lives of soldiers. Meade said his first words since our meeting began. "And what is this request, General Grant?" I closed my eyes for a moment, debating my decision at the last minute, but there was no time for doubts.

My choice had been made, and I would have to follow through. I told them sternly, "You are to shake the Confederate armies to their core. I want both of you and your armies, to pursue General Lee's army. Give them no chance to rest. Attack them whenever possible. This will be issued as a campaign order as well." Sherman kept himself composed, but Meade appeared to be a bit uneasy.

"But, General. Lee's army is one of the top in the Confederacy. We've lost more to him than any other General or Major," Meade stated nervously.

I stood up abruptly and said, "That's why we must attack him. Lee is our biggest opponent of the war. He is the thing that is giving the Confederacy hope and fueling their beliefs that they will win this war! If we crush Lee, then the rest of the Confederacy will fall with him. The Rebels are depending on that one man to bring them victory, and that's why they will lose. You take away the one they look up to and idolize, then they have nothing left."

Meade leaned back into his seat, while Sherman sat next to him, arms crossed over his chest and a slight smirk on his lips. "Very well said, sir," Sherman stated calmly, "when do you want these plans to go into action?" I sat back down at my desk and intertwined my hands together.

"As soon as possible," I told them. Sherman nodded and stood from his chair. "Is this all that you wished to discuss with us, sir?" he asked casually. I nodded, then dismissed him and Meade. I knew I could rely on Sherman, for he had gone above and beyond on the battlefield before, proving his worth.

Meade, on the other hand, had me a bit concerned. He doubted my plan, and I didn't blame him for that; he always thought a bit more rationally than other commanders.

But I had a feeling that Meade wouldn't disobey my orders unless he had no other choice to, and that was all that mattered to me. I let out a sigh, thankful that phase one of my plan had been taken care of, but there was a bit more that needed to be attended to.

_Shun_

For some reason, the camp was in a bit of an uproar that day. At first, I thought it to be more political debate, but I quickly found that my assumption was incorrect. The disturbance was caused by one of General Grant's actions. I wasn't sure what kind of 'action' Grant had taken that got the camp in such a fuss, but I knew of one person that might have known; Dan.

If my friend, who stuck his nose into everyone's business, didn't know about what was going on, then I had no idea who else would. I searched around the camp for the brunette, and eventually found him talking to a group of fellow soldiers, most likely about what all the ruckus was about.

I tapped him on his shoulder to get his attention. He turned around and saw it was me. "Oh, hey, Shun. What do ya need?" he asked, holding up an index finger to the soldiers he was talking to in order to signal for them to hold on for a minute. I asked my friend, "Do you have any idea what all the fuss is about?"

Dan shook his head and said flatly, "You really don't keep up with the talk around the camp, do ya, Shun?" I narrowed my eyes and retorted, "I have no reason to engage in gossip and such. Now, can you just tell me, or do you even know?"

Dan held his hands up defensively, realizing that he had struck a minor nerve on me. "Calm down, buddy. No need to get snappy. Word is that Grant called off all Prisoner of War exchanges, meaning that we are no longer going to return Confederate soldiers that were captured in battle to the South. But at the same time, this means that we can't get our own men back. That's why the camp is in such an uproar."

I was surprised to hear this news, for I never expected that the Prisoners would cease to be exchanged. Dan crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at the ground.

"In a way, I can see where Grant is taking this. The Union has tons of Confederate prisoners, so keeping them locked up until the end of the war would help to cripple the Southern armies. But at the same time, we aren't regaining any of our soldiers. Then again, we haven't really had that many men captured…" he began to trail off, and I could see that our current topic would soon be lost and replaced with something else.

To avoid this, I quickly thanked Dan for the information and walked away, leaving him to resume his previous conversation with the other soldiers. As I walked through the camp, I caught a glimpse of Grant walking out of his tent.

The General then began to walk towards my direction, and as he passed by, I gave him a nod as a cordial greeting. He nodded back and was about to continue on his way, but a question popped into my mind. I quickly turned on my heels and jumped in front of the General, halting his direction of travel.

It was probably a stupid thing for me to do, but I was acting on impulse. "Yes, soldier?" Grant asked me calmly, but I had a feeling he wasn't too thrilled to have one of his own soldiers delaying him. I quickly asked him, "Why did you cease the exchanging of prisoners? What reason did you have other than to possibly cripple their numbers?"

Grant closed his eyes and told me calmly, "If we continued to exchange our prisoners back and forth like we were doing, then the practice would have only prolonged the conflict that we're in. It's better to go ahead and cut down their numbers by taking away their troops alive, rather than slaughtering them on the battlefield….Listen, if you or any of my other soldiers are doubting my choice, then so be it. But I'm doing this for the benefit of the Union." With that, Grant walked around me and vanished behind a row of tents.

_Camp Sumter, Georgia_

A burly-faced man slammed his hands down on a desk, papers and pencil holders falling off and onto the floor. The Confederate soldier that had just delivered this news to the man, flinched and took a couple of steps back, mainly due to fear that the Prison Commander would strike him next.

The enraged man quickly composed himself, and straightened his furled jacket. "So, Grant is going to stop exchanging prisoners now? Very well, then. Gather all of the Guards in the courtyard. Now!" the man shouted at the trembling soldier. The soldier nodded and said, "Yes, sir Wirz!"

He then ran from the room to gather the Guards as his superior had asked. The man known as Henry Wirz walked around his desk and picked up the items that fell off during his rage. He was the one in command of the Confederate Prison; Camp Sumter. Inside the prison, there were tens of thousands of Union soldiers that had been captured during and after battles.

Henry Wirz walked over to the window of his quarters, and looked out into the courtyard. The soldier appeared to have gathered all of the Guards as he had asked, and Wirz realized that it was time to make his appearance and counteract Grant's decision to stop exchanging prisoners.

The reason that the Union General's choice angered Wirz so much, was the fact that those were his fellow Confederates that they were holding in their prison camps. So, if the Union was going to keep their Confederate soldiers, then Wirz decided that it would only be fair to make his new, permanent guests more than welcomed.

He stepped out into the courtyard, all of the Guards lined up before him. Wirz then told them, "As you all may have heard, the Union is no longer exchanging prisoners, meaning that they have our troops locked away in cells. But at the same time, they have allowed us to keep their own men. So, we are to make their stay here at Camp Sumter more than….Pleasant."

Wirz's expression turned into a twisted smile. It was always thought that Henry Wirz was a bit off in the head, and his future actions were going to be proof of this.

Wirz then shouted to his Guards, "Take away their meals! Give these prisoners no water, or medical treatment! They are now my permanent guests until the end of the war, so I have every right to treat them how I want to! Beat them down to the ground if you so desire! I want their lives to turn into a living hell! And there will be no opposing my new orders! Understood?!"

His Guards looked at Wirz for a moment, all of them unsure if mistreating the soldiers of the mighty Union was a smart idea, but they knew if they disobeyed Wirz, then nothing good would become of them. So, they all nodded their heads and set off to take away the life-giving necessities of their prisoners, living up to Wirz's demands to make their lives a living hell.

_Grant_

I ran my hands through my thinning hair. My ceasing of the exchanging of prisoners had not gone over well. It was like wildfire throughout the Confederate War Prisons; they had begun heavy mistreatment of Union Prisoners of War. They took away food and water, even beat them like animals.

And from what I had been told, tens to hundreds of thousands of Union prisoners had died in the camps from mistreatment since my declaration to stop exchanging prisoners. Now, even the War Department was getting involved. They fought back by cutting the food and water rations of Confederate Prisoners of War.

My original intentions of this proclamation was to stop some of the conflict and to lessen up on the deaths of soldiers from both sides, but it had backfired horribly. Disease, starvation, injuries, and other things were rapidly killing off prisoners from both sides, but I had to keep my stand in all of this.

It was obvious that the Confederacy was committing these atrocities in order to get me to change my statement on the ceasing of exchanging prisoners, but I wasn't going to let up. I was to stand strong, and show that their horrible actions weren't getting to me.

But I knew that the other soldiers in the Union were most likely doubting me now, for I was allowing their fellow soldiers to suffer. _No….I can't change my position in this fight. I have to stay strong on this…..I have to finish this war, and soon….Or else there will be nobody left to fight in it. _

My rapid thoughts were broken when Meade walked into my tent. He held a letter in his hands and said to me, "General Grant, Lee has been spotted in the East. Do you want Sherman and I to pursue him?" I turned and looked harshly at Meade.

"No. You and _I _will go after Lee. Sherman will receive orders in due time. Now, start dismantling the winter camps. It's time to ready ourselves for the Spring Campaigns!" Meade stared at me for a moment, then nodded and left my tent to go and tell the troops outside to tear down the tents and pack their supplies.

I stood there in my tent, finally starting to feel the weight of my job fall on my shoulders. True, all of my choices wouldn't be popular with the masses, but that came with the job. But what also came with the job, was ending this war, and I was planning on doing that soon enough by severing the head of the snake; Lee.

* * *

you'd be surprised how perfectly this time period of the war lined up with the ideas i had for the next few chapters. as you all can see above, things are really starting to heat up between the North and South. i should have another chapter up tomorrow. read, review, and other things. OH! AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! ~Copperpelt~


	41. May 1864: The Overland Campaign Failure

_Shun_

Back in April, Grant unexpectedly ordered the dismantling of our winter camp, which could have only meant one thing; we were going on the offensive soon. Now, we were marching towards Virginia, our supply lines dragging behind us carrying everything from food to our previous camp materials.

Accompanying us on this trek, was the army of George Meade as well. Meade was the front of the lines with General Grant. The two appeared to be talking, but I was too far back to tell about what. Regardless, it was probably of no importance to me.

But rumors were that Grant had also personally collaborated with President Lincoln on these battle plans. If this was the case, then this would be the Union's first time that we would administer a coordinated assault of such a massive proportion.

Without being noticed, I pushed through the lines and up towards the front, where the Calvary was at. Dan was near the back of the Calvary lines, and asked him, "Have you been able to hear anything of what Grant and Meade have been talking about?" I assumed that since he was only about ten feet away from the two commanders, he might have caught bits of their conversation.

Dan glanced at me over his shoulder from horseback and told me, "They've been saying something about attacking Lee at any time, to do so without hesitation. And there was something about they think that the army we're chasing after is only a small isolated portion. So, they're expecting this to be an easy fight for us."

I nodded, and let Dan return to facing ahead of him before somebody realized that he was speaking to me. Although, something about this didn't settle right with me. When had we ever encountered an isolated section of the Confederate army? All of the battles prior had been full on assaults and with as many soldiers as either side could spare.

It just didn't make sense that a few hundred soldiers may have been marching along through this wilderness with Lee at the command. As we continued to march along, I decided that it be best to push those thoughts out of my mind; keeping a clear head would help me during our upcoming battle.

Up ahead, Grant raised his hand into the air, and our infantry lines halted. "Set up our temporary headquarters here. After that's done, assume battle positions," he told us from his horse. Towards the back of the line, supplies were being unloaded as infirmary tents were quickly pitched and supplies unloaded.

The Calvary, seeing that they had nothing that they could help out with, went on ahead and lined up. By late noon, everything was set up, signaling that it was time to line up and join the Calvary in the lines of battle. Weapons were handed out as quickly as possible, and soon, our entire army we armed and ready to fight.

Grant, who was still on horseback and scouting around the area for any weak points in our supply lines, said to himself, "This should be easy. Lee won't know what hit him." I had noticed that there was a bit of a change in Grant when he was handed his new position as the General of all of the Union armies.

He seemed to be making more rash decisions than before, but perhaps that's what had to be done in such a world. Then again, who was I to question his authority? Meade clapped his hands together and shouted over everyone's talking, "Alright! Line up! We're about to go into battle! Keep alert out there!"

Several soldiers saluted Meade and ran to their spots. Out in the distance was a ravine, and towards the edge of it, I saw a line a Confederate soldiers marching along; those were our enemies. Apparently, Grant and Meade had been correct when they assumed that it was an isolated army.

I noticed that Meade's army was set off somewhat away from us, and it was only when they charged out into the future battlefield, did I realize that they were the ones to go in first. I then heard the familiar blaring of a bugle, and before I could realize it, Meade's army took off into the ravine in front of us.

Lee's forces saw their opponents heading towards them, and suddenly, more soldiers emerged from the trees behind them. Grant had been wrong. This wasn't an isolated army, but rather the entire infantry.

_Klaus_

Lee's plan had gone just as expected. He wanted to trick Grant into thinking that we were nothing but a small fraction of our main army, when in all actuality, our entire infantry was hidden away behind us. Now, Grant's troops were charging out into the ravine, and we had revealed our true numbers to them.

A bugle bellowed, telling us to go into the fight. Calvary took off without a bit of hesitation. They, along with the rest of us, were tired of losing our battles, and we wanted to make our General proud. But I had another goal in mind. This was, in fact, Grant's army, and I knew exactly who was part of its numbers; Shun.

A second signal was given to us, and our infantry joined in behind the Calvary. I had a bayonet fixed to the end of my rifle, and I was cutting down Union soldiers as I ran past them. Bullets and mortars zoomed through the air, tearing apart the very ground beneath our feet.

Past all the fighting, I saw a second wave of Union soldiers join the battle, and I could only assume that they were part of Grant's army. At long last, they had decided the join the battle. Most likely, General Grant sent them in when he realized that his numbers were being overwhelmed by our forces.

Their lines were being pushed back into the forest they emerged from, but they were also holding their ground firmly. I stopped running through the battlefield, and began to scout the area out for a certain Union soldier. Smoke and dust clouds littered the ravine, making it rather difficult to see.

Suddenly, a Union soldier came running out of the dust, bayonet pointed at me. I narrowed my eyes and drew the Calvary saber that I had swiped before the battle, and let the soldier run straight into the blade. It pierced right through his blue and gold wool uniform, and blood began to seep through.

His eyes were wide as the fear of death took hold of him, and I ripped the blade out of the man's chest, causing him to collapse to the ground. I wasn't entirely sure if he was dead yet or not, but it didn't matter; he wasn't going to be in the fight any longer, meaning that there was one less soldier to worry about.

I slung the blade of the saber towards the ground, knocking the blood off before I returned it back to its hilt. As the fighting went on throughout the night, I continued looking for that Union soldier, but to no prevail. I growled in aggravation. Where was he at? Surely he hadn't perished in a battle prior to this one, right?

No, I had a feeling that he was still more than alive and in this battle right now. But I had yet to see even a glimpse of him. My hands tightened into fists. "When I find you," I growled. Beside me, I caught sight of Jones. He was cutting down Union soldiers as if they were nothing. His eyes were cold and ruthless as he killed his former allies.

I shouted to him, "Keep up the good work, Jones!" He glanced up from a Union soldier he just took down, and gave me a nod before going back into the fight. Around me and through the gunfire, I could hear the wails of injured troops from both sides. The only cries of agony I wished to hear, were from the very person that caused me so many problems.

_Shun_

Dan and I were cornered towards the edge of the forest. I remained stationed behind a large boulder, shooting down soldiers whenever one came near, while Dan charged out there on horseback, using the Calvary saber to cut them down.

This fight had gone of for more than a couple of days now, and our lines were suffering. There had been more Confederate troops than we anticipated, and they were more than ready for our attack. Our supplies were running low, along with our numbers.

And if things weren't bad enough, the Confederates were countering a flanking maneuver and had turned it against us, shattering our Southeastern lines. We couldn't keep this up for much longer. I had retreated back behind the large rock, as had Dan.

He was cut up and bloodied like the rest of us, and looked like he was about to fall out right there. "This…..This is nothing but a manslaughter," he said between gasps of air. His horse was also cut up and had sustained several injuries.

I told Dan, "I think we've lost this one. There's no way around it. Somebody has to tell Grant to retreat. If we stay here any longer, we're all as good as dead." Dan nodded and tugged on the horse's reigns. "I'll hunt him down and tell him he needs to pull back," the brunette said and charged back out into the battlefield in search of our General.

_Grant_

I stared at the battle before me in horror. Nothing had gone as we planned, and now our armies were suffering heavily. The Confederates were cutting our numbers down, and I knew that our lines wouldn't be able to hold much longer.

My troops were injured, hungry, and tired, three things that were working against us and making this victory all the more impossible. How could it have gone so wrong? I had it all planned out. But as I stared down at the mangled bodies of fallen soldiers, I couldn't help but realize that everything backfired in my face.

My goals for this fight hadn't been anything spectacular; I hadn't gone into this particular fight as a means to capture the Confederacy's capital, even though I could have. No, I had done this as a means to crush Lee's army.

But it was clear as day that I had underestimated Lee a bit more this go round. He had lost several battles, and I was able to tell that those losses were fueling his want to win right now. Suddenly, a Calvary soldier rode up towards me.

"I found you, sir," he said breathlessly and halted the horse before me. "General Grant, please tell them to retreat. They're going to keep fighting until you say otherwise. Please, you have to tell them to get out of here," the brunette soldier said to me.

I stared at him for a moment, thinking over his demands. He was right about the soldiers not leaving till I gave them the order to, and I couldn't afford for them to stay in the heat of battle any longer. I took in a deep breath and told the Calvary soldier, "I'm not going to retreat. I refuse to let Lee have this as a victory! Instead, double back towards Spotsylvania Courthouse. We'll regroup and hold our ground there!"

The Calvary soldier stared at me for a moment, obviously surprised, then gave me a nod as he rode off to relay my message. Within a matter of minutes, I heard the wailing of a bugle and saw my remaining troops withdrawing back. I quickly mounted my horse and ran towards the front of my lines, leading them to our next battlefield, all while Lee's army trailed behind us.

_Klaus_

After several days of fighting, Grant's lines started to regroup and were withdrawing from the battle, obviously trying to take it elsewhere as a means of getting an upper hand against us. Lee ordered us to pursue them; the General knew that Grant's men were on the ropes and about to fall out at any moment.

Without so much as a sliver of hesitation, we chased after Grant's army and eventually ended up at the property of Spotsylvania Courthouse. From there, I saw that Grant's lines had reorganized a bit fro the chaotic mess they had been in previously. Although, there were noticeably fewer soldiers, not only on their side, but also on ours.

Even though we were laying waste to the Union, they had also taken a good amount of our own with them. There was no bugle blare this time. Instead, both sides charged into the new battle without even so much as a command given to them.

I dove into the fighting as well, holding my ground as wave after wave of Union soldiers slammed into our lines. Their fatigue and weakened state, proved to be their true downfall though. They were unable to fight to their fullest extent thanks to hunger and injuries.

I figured their supplies must have also been running low. Out in the distance, I saw the Union General looking out into the battlefield. Behind me, our General was doing the same thing. It was rather an iconic image when I thought about. The two spearheads of the Civil War were watching as their soldiers fought to the death in their name and in the name of their country.

_Shun_

The fighting here at Spotsylvania went on for what felt like an eternity. Some reinforcements had come in a few weeks back, but they hadn't helped much. The Confederacy was still ripping apart our lines, no matter what we did. And our troops were starting to give out in the midst of battle, many of them dying from other factors, rather than being impaled by a bayonet or pierced by a bullet.

It was nearing the end of the month if I had been keeping up with the days correctly, but I wasn't so sure. Grant sent out an order that we were to reposition our lines again in another attempt to take down Lee's army and get an upper hand, but even I was doubting if it would make a difference.

And my doubts were justified, because it didn't. Lee's army did nothing but shattered those lines as well, and when they did, I ended up getting cut off from my fellow soldiers, and trapped in the lines of the Confederacy. I started to try and run back to my allies, when a voice stopped me.

"You," it hissed. I slowly turned around and felt my eyes widen. It was Klaus, and behind him, I saw an old traitor; Jones. Klaus lifted a bloodstained Calvary saber up and pointed it at me, his eyes locking onto me as his next target. I stumbled back a bit, knowing that I was at a serious disadvantage, for I was out of ammo and nearly too weak to fight.

"You should really thank Grant for the Union's downfall here. If it weren't for his predictable pride and arrogance, maybe you and your fellow troops wouldn't be getting slaughtered out here. Oh, well, at least you will finally join them and get to burn with the rest of the Union," Klaus said harshly.

Reacting the only way I knew, I took the bayonet off the end of my rifle, giving me something that I could defend myself with, then ran off into the forest behind Klaus and Jones. The two chased after me, bullets shooting past my head. When I glanced back, I saw that Jones was the one shooting at me.

My heart was racing as I ran through limbs that slapped into my legs, leaving bruises behind. My foot then caught on a tree root, causing me to fall down onto the ground, knocking the wind out of me. I laid on the ground and tried to regulate my breathing. But I was too late getting up when Klaus and Jones reached me, pinning me to the ground to where I couldn't get up and fight back.

Klaus dug the heel of his boot into the back of my ribs. I cried out and clawed at the ground as I tried to get away, but it was all for naught. I then felt the Calvary saber blade as it was placed on my back. My eyes widened when I realized that this might be the end of me, but before Klaus was able to put an end to my life, a bugle call rang throughout the battle zone, and I recognized the tune as the one that was used when Grant decided to fall back.

Through the thicket, I saw Union troops fleeing off to somewhere else, probably in an attempt to regroup again and rest up. I then saw Lee's army chase after them again just as they had done before we ran to Spotsylvania. Klaus growled and said, "Looks like they're leaving you behind. You know what that makes you now?"

He dug his boot deeper into my back. "It makes you a prisoner of the Confederacy," he spat, "which means that I am ordered to send you to a Prisoner of War camp now, and that I can't kill you. You should see yourself as lucky."

Klaus had a hateful expression on his face, but it slowly turned into a twisted grin. "You know what, Shun, I actually heard the camps are even better now that your General decided that he didn't want to exchange prisoners anymore. I'm sure your stay will be pleasant." Klaus then picked something up, most likely a rock, and hit me in the back of the head, knocking me out cold.

_Dan_

Our lines fell back for a second time that month, and this time, Grant ordered that we go towards the North Anna river and hold our ground there. Thankfully though, we had put plenty of distance between us and the Confederate troops that were after us, but there was also word that Lee's army had made camp for the night to rest as well.

As our weakened and battered soldiers walked through our temporary camp, I looked through them for Shun. Last I had seen of him, was back when I set out to tell Grant that we needed to retreat. As I looked at the faces of wounded and exhausted soldiers, I didn't see Shun anywhere.

Worry started to build up inside of me, and I scoured the small camp for my friend. "Shun?" I asked as I went from tent to tent and peered inside with hopes that I'd find him. I even went to the infirmary tent, but he wasn't there either. Since we had left the battle so unexpectedly, we hadn't had the time to gather our dead and serious injured back at the battlefield, meaning that Shun could have been a part of those massive numbers.

With this thought in my mind, I ran my hands through my hair and found my anxiety to be building. I couldn't lose my childhood friend, I just couldn't. This war had taken a lot of friends from me so far, and I felt that I couldn't handle one more, especially one as close as Shun.

As I stood there and tried to bring some reason to my thoughts, Mathis came strolling up to me. He told me, "You shouldn't be over here. You should be back in the camp and getting something to eat and rest. Hey, what's up with you?"

He finally realized my distress. I told him, "My friend, Shun, I can't find him anywhere in the camp, and I'm fearing the worst…"

Mathis frowned and told me, "Well, if he's not here, then that leaves only a few scenarios. He's either severely injured back on the battlefield, dead, or a Prisoner of War. If I were you, I'd be praying that he's dead. Cause if he's injured, then he's going to die slowly and painfully, and I don't even want to imagine what kind of torment would await him in a Prisoner of War camp.

" With that, Mathis retreated back to the camp, and reluctantly, I followed behind, trying to push the worst case scenarios for Shun out of my mind.

* * *

happy new year and all that jazz. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	42. June 1864: A War Filled With Sin

_Runo_

It felt like it had been ages since Alice ran away. In that time since her stunt she pulled back at that party, where she revealed that her loyalty was with the Union, her name became tarnished beyond repair. People turned their noses up whenever somebody muttered a single word about the orange-haired girl, even if the words were negative.

I hated seeing how my home was being turned upside down and in every other direction except for the right way. Now that I saw how this war had altered our way of living, I understood why Alice ran. She wanted to get away from it, from all the hate and violence.

I didn't blame her for running, and even I wanted to leave it all behind now. But there was no way I could bring myself to betray my homeland. If I did, then where would I go? The North? No, I wouldn't be able to stand living up there, even if I didn't want to side myself with the South any longer.

Seeing that my choices were extremely limited, I decided that it was best to remain where I was at until the war ended. Perhaps I could have silently prayed that the Union won and liberated the Southern states from Confederate control. I sighed, feeling an invisible weight pressing down on my shoulders.

How could everyone be so blind? This war was turning good people into monsters. It was getting out of hand at an alarming rate, and things would only get worse if something wasn't done soon. Behind me, Julie approached me, and I turned to face her.

She gave me a sad smile. Things had been difficult for both of us since Alice ran off; the two of us had to put on fake scowls whenever our old friend was brought up in conversation, all while we prayed for her safety in secrecy. _I can't keep living like this, _I thought to myself and felt as if tears might spill over at any moment.

Julie didn't seem to notice my distress, but if she did, she acted like she didn't. She then said, "I was going to see if I received anymore mail from Billy. Do you want to come with me?" I thought for a moment, then agreed to go with her to the post office.

Billy's letters to Julie had become less frequent as the war raged on, yet, he still found time to right her. I recalled one letter he sent to Julie. It spoke of how he finally got moved to a different division, one that was away from Klaus, whom he had not gotten along with the least bit.

Now, Billy was just fighting little battles here and there and defending Confederate-controlled areas, such as Florida. Without realizing it, we arrived at the post office. Julie and I walked up the two wooden steps and onto the building's wooden porch, where we proceeded to go inside.

A little golden bell chimed when the top of the door bumped it, signaling our arrival. An elderly man glanced up from a book he was reading, then reluctantly put it down. "Name?" he asked us while making his way over to the large burlap sack of mail. "Julie. It should be addressed from a Billy," the silver-haired girl said calmly.

The man dug around in the bag, and pulled out a letter. He looked at it and told her, "It's not addressed from a Billy, but it's got both of your names on it." Julie and I exchanged confused looks to one another. I hesitated for a moment before taking the mystery letter from the man, then ripped open the envelop.

Instantly, I recognized the handwriting. "Alice," I whispered under my breath. Julie didn't hear me, and began to look over my shoulder to read the letter. When she saw the intricate loops and flow of cursive that could have only belonged to our friend, her eyes widened in surprise. "No way," the silver-haired girl blurted out.

The post office man looked at both of us and asked, "Is everything alright?" We both snapped back to reality and said simultaneously, "Yes." He raised an eyebrow, then shrugged his shoulders and returned to his desk, where he resumed reading his book.

Julie and I quickly left out of the post office so we could read the contents of the letter in peace. We figured that the best place to read it would be at my house, so we hurried there as quickly as possible. Once there, I took the letter back out and Julie and I began to scan the letters frantically as we read Alice's words to us.

Julie smiled and said happily, "Our Alice is safe. Thank goodness." I frowned and added onto her statement, "But she didn't tell us where she's at other than the North….." Perhaps it was for the best that she kept her location secret, for if this letter fell into certain hands, then another search party would be sent out for her arrest.

But I was glad to know that our friend was safe and out of harm's way, at least for the time-being. I slid the letter back into its envelop and placed it in on a bookshelf in my room. Julie suddenly asked me, "Do you think Alice will ever come back here?" I bit my lower lip as I thought about it.

"I don't know, Julie. Maybe she will after the war and if the Union wins," I said honestly. But somehow, I had a feeling that she might not. Alice had always despised living in the South, mainly because of the belief system of how people should be married and the whole ordeal with slavery.

_Alice was always a bit of a rebel, _I thought to myself, and it brought a smile to me. Julie sat down on my bed and said, "I hope she does. I can't stand to keep losing all of my friends. I mean, first Murucho vanishes, then Alice. I'm starting to fear that you might leave me too, Runo."

I smiled sadly and sat down next to Julie. "I'm not going anywhere, Julie. I promise," I said in a reassuring tone. This brought a smile to Julie's face, and she nodded to let me know that she knew I was telling the truth.

_Sherman_

One of my soldiers just informed me of a certain Confederate General that we had just killed in our latest battle; Leonidas Polk. Normally, there would be some sort of celebration, but that would have to wait. I knew of how things were going with Grant and Meade, and they weren't well.

So, while I was on the Atlanta Campaign, I wanted to bring the Union some kind of positive results, rather than the decimation that Grant was enduring at the moment.

My mind was still unable to wrap around the idea that at the beginning of the Overland Campaign, over ten thousand Union troops had been slaughtered, while the Confederacy lost only a couple thousand. _Grant, what's wrong with you? _I thought to myself with a growl.

If it were me fighting that battle, then there would be hardly any casualties. In fact, it was to be to take over Grant's spot if something ever became of him. I shook my head and went back to planning for our next assault on the Confederacy.

There was no time for me to be thinking what actions I would take in a battle that I was no part of, when I already had one waiting for me to take control over. _All I can do is hope that they pull out a win for the Union….._

_Dan_

Our short break after the Battle of North Anna was short lived. And just like the previous battles we had endured since the start of this Campaign, Grant had us draw back and head towards a place called Cold Harbor, which caused the Battle of North Anna to become another indecisive conclusion.

At the rate that things were going, I feared that all this Campaign was going to achieve for us was a tremendous loss. Suddenly, a set of fingers were snapping in front of my face, bringing me back to reality. "Huh?" I said while looking around. My eyes finally locked on one of my fellow Calvary soldiers.

His eyes were narrowed at me when he said, "Maybe you should hang back during this battle. You haven't seem to have been yourself since Spotsylvania, and your performance was also slacking back in North Anna. Hang back and only jump into this battle if its absolutely needed."

The Calvary soldier tugged on his horse's reigns and rode off towards where the lines were reforming for the future Battle of Cold Harbor. I cast my eyes down and sighed. That soldier had been right when he spoke of my mind not being in the right place; it was too busy wondering if my friend was still alive or not.

After the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Shun had vanished, either dead on the battlefield or taken Prisoner. I recalled how Mathis told me to pray that he was dead, rather than alive and taken prisoner. Out in the distance, I heard the wailing of a bugle, and I watched as our lines began their charge.

Lee's forces clashed with ours, and the latest battle began, while I stayed back as a reinforcement and last resort. _I wish there was something I could do, _I thought angrily to myself. I hated knowing that my friend could possibly be alive, and that there was nothing I could do to help him.

Then again, he could have been dead as well. All I wanted was to know what fate had been handed to Shun. My horse jumped a bit as the first gunfire and mortars were shot from canons, and I quickly calmed the animal down. I said to it, "Don't worry….It's just war…..Nothing to be afraid of…."

_Grant_

After several days of trying to break through Lee's lines again and trying to flank him, I came to the conclusion that no progress had been made. _All this is, is a repeat of Spotsylvania. _My opponent's lines had been pushed back a bit, but not enough to make a difference in their strength.

As I gazed down at the battlefield that was littered with the bodies of Union soldiers, I watched as those that were still alive fought in the name of their country and freedom. _They are the real heroes, and yet, all the credit is handed to the Generals like me. It sickens me. _

Seeing that this battle was lost with no chance of a comeback, I located the bugle boy and told him, "Give the single to fall back….I hate to finally admit it, but we've lost this one." The bugle boy gave me a nod and played his tune to let my remaining soldiers know that we had lost and that we were to regroup.

_Even with reinforcements, we still couldn't gain an upper hand. _My soldiers quickly began to flee the bloody battlefield, as did Lee's forces, but I knew that we would have another encounter soon. As we made our way back to our temporary camp, I was immediately confronted by Meade and another General that had been present during this fight.

They both appeared to be furious at me. Meade then walked up to me and spoke up for once in his life. "How could you even allow your soldiers to go into this fight without even so much as a sliver of proper reconnaissance! Tell me, Grant! It was slaughter out there!" he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the temporary camp.

Around us, soldiers with none to minor injuries had gathered to see what all the yelling was about. Their eyes showed that of men who had been through hell and back, and yet, they held no malice towards me. To them, I was still their leader, despite the questionable choices I may have made recently.

I straightened my shoulders and said to Meade, "I know that the chaos from this battle is my fault, and it is my sin to bare. For the rest of my life, I will always regret sending my men into this fight to be slaughtered blindly by the Confederacy. Forevermore. This is the burden that God has decided to place on my shoulders, and I will not try and brush it off."

Meade's angered expression eased a bit after I said those words, for he knew that I was suffering from the guilt of allowing these atrocities to happen.

I then turned over to the soldiers that were gathered around and told them, "Rest easy tonight, for tomorrow we're heading towards James River, and I promise that our fight there will be a successful one." There was a roar of applause from them as moral was boosted, and I turned to look at Meade, who gave me a nod of approval.

_Shun_

The other captured Union soldiers, along with myself, had been loaded onto a train and taken away from the site of the battle that we had fallen in. Many of them had wounds that had just been temporarily treated so that they could handle the ride to whatever Prison Camp they were taking us to.

That had been several days ago, and now the train had rolled into its destined stop. One by one, we were unloaded from the train and chained together so none of us would be tempted to run. I kept my head cast down as we walked to the large front gate of the camp. Beside the door, was a sign.

It read _Camp Sumter, Georgia. _The name stirred a sense of familiarity. This was the place where all of the mistreatment of Prisoners of War started. This was where prisoners went through hell as a means to get back at Grant for ceasing prisoner exchanges.

A chill shot through me as we were herded into the camp like animals. Inside, guards were posted on lookout towers, rifles in hand so they could shoot prisoners that tried to escape. And all around the camp, was a foul stench that made my stomach do a complete turn.

Our line of prisoners suddenly stopped, and I saw why. A man stood before us, a cold and hateful look in his eyes as he examined us. "I, am Henry Wirz, and I will be your host for as long as you stay in this prison, which will be until the end of the war. Now, you are all going to be taken to your cells," he said coldly and walked off.

The chains were taken off of us, but our hands were tied together so we could offer them no resistance. I, along with several other Union soldiers, were taken to a cell towards the back of the prison complex. From there, we were thrown inside, and the iron-barred door locked behind us.

Since my hands were still tied together, I had difficulty getting into a sitting position, but I finally did. And when I did, I wished that I hadn't. Inside this cell, I saw what happened to those in this camp. Other Union Prisoners of War, sat on the ground, their bones showing through their skin, which made them look like skeletons.

Several of them had gashes and cuts that littered their bodies, and infection was running rampant throughout the wounds. Their eyes were glazed over, and they looked like they were staring off into a better place, a place where they weren't suffering. The sight made me sick, and filled me with horror and fear.

I didn't want to end up suffering like these people, but there was nothing I could do; I was locked in here until the war was over or the exchanges continued. In the corner of the cell, I saw that a boy about my age or a little younger, was huddled up in a cloak or blanket. He was trembling violently, but not because he was cold, but because he was terrified.

The cell door suddenly opened, and a Guard came walking in, a wooden stick held tightly in his hand. His cold eyes then scanned over the cell, and they locked on the trembling boy in the back. A wicked smile crossed his face, and he walked over to the boy, grabbing him by his hair, and lifting him to his feet.

Now that I could see the boy's face, I saw that he might have been a few years younger than me, and it appeared by his condition, that he hadn't been here for very long. He brought his tied hands up to shield himself from his attacker, but I knew that it wouldn't do much to stop the Guard from beating him.

That was when I stood up and snapped, "Hey! Leave him alone! He didn't do anything to you!" The Guard turned and narrowed his eyes at me, and all around me, I saw the expressions of my fellow cellmates change. They adverted their gazes from me, and shook their heads.

Suddenly, I felt like I shouldn't have said anything. The Guard dropped the boy and walked up to me. I thought for a moment that he might say something, but he did not. Instead, he brought the wooden stick up and struck me in the side of the head, knocking me down to the ground.

From there, he let out a shrill whistle, and several other Guards joined him in the cell. As I laid on the ground in a daze, I heard my attack say, "We've got somebody that's going to have to learn the hard way how things work here."

That was when the summoned Guards and my attacker ganged up on me, digging the toes of their boots into my spine and ribs as they kicked me mercilessly. After what felt like hours, the Guards stopped and left out of the cell snickering.

I remained laying on the dirt floor of the cell, beaten to a bloody pulp, and not a single one of my cellmates made a move to help me. Now, I saw how things were here. They all lived in fear of the Guards, even to the point of where they wouldn't help each other.

I coughed, sending blinding pain through my ribs that were obviously crack, and I tasted blood come up in my mouth. As I laid there, I couldn't help but think, _This is going to be where I die._ My eyes then grew heavy, and I blacked out from my injuries.

* * *

i'm sorry if there are some spelling issues in this chapter. i just haven't been able to type today o.o read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	43. July 1864: The Crater

_Dan_

After the failures of the Overland Campaign, our lines fell back to get far away from Lee's armies. But the moment we had healed and restocked our food and ammo, Grant quickly order us to start marching towards Petersburg, where we would try and take the city. If we could do that, then we would also be able to easily gain access to the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.

And if we succeeded in taking the capital, then the war would be over, and peace would be restored. _And the war prisoners would finally be freed, _I silently added on to the list of facts. Ever since Shun's disappearance, there had been several scenarios that could have happened to him; injured on the battlefield, death, or captured.

Somehow, I had a feeling that Shun wasn't dead, or left out on a battlefield for dead. Somehow, I knew that he was still alive, and that would mean that he had been captured. This little feeling was fueling my want to hurry up and end this war and free my friend from the confines of a Confederate prison.

Even if I alone couldn't achieve ending this war, I was going to do all that I could. A few battles back, towards the end of the Overland Campaign, I had been asked to sit out due to the fact that my mind hadn't been in the right place.

Now, my mind was set back and focused on a single goal, allowing me back into battles with more fight and will to win than ever. But at the end of the Overland Campaign, and after our short break, we immediately jumped into the Siege of Petersburg.

Although, this siege wasn't like that of a traditional siege. It had become very clear to Grant during the first few days, that we were being unsuccessful at taking the city. So, Grant ordered us to create trenches, or holes in the ground that would allow us to hold our positions.

From there, our lines could fire from a somewhat safe place, and hold the opposing lines at bay as well. Although, us Cavalry units would not be able to join the trenches; we still had to run through the battlefield and help defend our fellow soldiers behind us.

And during one night, while there was a cease-fire, Grant summoned us Calvary soldiers together. Standing beside the General, were two other men. Grant motioned towards them and said, "Gentlemen, we have a large task ahead of us if we are to take Petersburg and put an end to this war.

And it will depend heavily on our exceptional Calvary." We all looked at each other, wondering what kind of plan Grant had cooked up now. Some of us had begun to question Grant's leadership skills because of his previous actions, but we saw then and there that we may have had our old General back at long last.

The head of the Calvary unit spoke up and said, "What is our mission, sir?" Grant nodded and looked over to the two men that had joined his sides.

"This here is Commander Winfield S. Hancock, leader of the II Corps, and Philip H. Sheridan, a well-respected Calvary commander. Sheridan will be the one to lead you all on your mission, while Hancock leads his own men. The goal of this mission is to dilute down Lee's forces in the Petersburg trenches by leading some of them elsewhere, and even go after the capital if possible," Grant informed us.

I looked back at Sheridan. I never recalled seeing this commander before, but if Grant trusted his expertise, then who was I to question him and leadership abilities.

Grant cleared his throat and added, "Doing this will give our men back here a chance to break through the lines and help our advancement to Petersburg. There is also another factor that I must discuss with you all, including the Commanders. If you all do break through and start heading towards Richmond, and are unable to do such, then I ask that you, Sheridan, ride around the city and cut the railroad lines that are supplying Richmond. Understood?"

We all nodded, and as far as I could tell, fully grasped the plan that had been placed before us. The next morning when the fighting resumed, we headed out.

_Dan_

As we set out towards a river and crossed it into a place known as Deep Bottom. If things went over well, then we would also be able to advance towards the Confederate capital. Almost instantly, we found the lines that Lee had stationed around to defend this side of the capital.

Our goal wasn't to actually take Richmond, but if we were able to, then more power to us. Our one true goal, was to draw the lines away from Grant so it would be easier for him to advance. Behind us, were Hancock's divisions, ready to jump into the battle the moment the first gunfire started.

As the fighting went on, we noticed that the number of troops on the Confederate side were increasing, which could have only meant that Lee figured out what we were up to and was trying to reinforce his lines. We continued to fight there, Hancock's divisions defending our Calvary lines as we kept trying to advance and achieve our mission.

This fighting continued for a sometime, and I realized that the Confederates were a bit too much for all of us to handle, and they were actually pushing Hancock's lines back towards a creek. But Hancock held his ground while us Calvary soldiers kept strong.

We knew that if things got out of hand and to a point of no return, we could fall back, for odds were, we had decreased Lee's lines at Petersburg considerably and given Grant an advantage back on his front lines. Several days later, and as our own lines and Hancock's men took a beating from the Confederates, I noticed that out in the distance, reinforcements had been sent in to help us.

They instantly jumped into the fight and helped push back the Rebel forces that were demolishing Hancock's army. Using this to his advantage, Sheridan ordered us to try and turn the Confederate line to its left. As we started to turn the line, somebody shouted out, "They're trying to surround us!"

When I looked up, three Confederate Brigades had started to attack our right flank, placing heavy damage on us. We were unable to turn and defend our flank, or else our other side would be attacked by the troops that we were turning to the left. We were completely surrounded.

As I tried to keep my horse calm and from freaking out in all of the chaos, I couldn't help but think that this may have been as far as we could take the mission. Grant wouldn't be mad at us, but I wouldn't stand for it. The capital was right there. The end of the war was right in front of us, and to retreat now would be something I couldn't live with.

I wanted this war to be put to an end more than anything else, so that way not only would we all get to go home and this needless violence be put to a stop, but Shun would also be freed from whatever prison camp he was locked away in.

Suddenly, the three Brigade units that were assaulting us, were shot down by a barrage of gunfire, freeing up our right flank. Our Calvary unit looked around frantically until we found that more reinforcements had been sent in at just the right time. Sheridan regrouped us together and told us, "Proceed to cut off the railroads. It's too big of a risk to try and take the capital in our condition."

He then dug his heels into the side of his horse, causing the animal to lurch forward into a run. The rest of our Calvary unit followed after him, and rode around the city of Richmond while reinforcements stayed behind to keep the Confederates pinned down. I glanced over at the capital of the Confederacy, finding it strange that we were so close, yet so far from our goal.

_Grant_

Word reached me that Sheridan and Hancock and cut the railroad supply lines to Richmond. As I gazed down into the battlefield and saw how the Confederate numbers had dwindled down thanks to the diversion created by Sheridan and Hancock, I couldn't help but feel satisfied with the progress that we had made.

_Maybe this small victory will ensure that the next stage will be successful as well, _I silently mused to myself. My front lines had made it farther into the Confederate-held territory, making me feel comfortable with going forth with my next plan.

Earlier towards the end of June, I had spoken to one of my Lieutenant Colonels, Henry Pleasant. Pleasant had offered to me an idea of how we could possibly take Petersburg quickly and easily, without turning it into an overly-long and exaggerated siege.

His idea had been to build a tunnel right beneath a nearby Confederate fort and set explosives there, then blow the fort up, taking out soldiers and supplies in one blow. The idea had sounded far-fetched to me, but it was all I had at the time. So, construction on this underground tunnel began, and we had finally reached the fort without the Confederacy even knowing that we were right beneath them.

It was truly an engineering marvel, this tunnel. It had taken some time, and a lot of manpower that could have been used for fighting, but I figured that taking out that amount of enemy soldiers in one hit was much better than fighting for another month. It would save some of our soldiers' lives as well, and that was always a plus.

So many had died so far, and whenever we could prevent their deaths, that made things all the better. We even had a plan for what actions we would take after the explosion. Ambrose Burnside, a very decorated General, was the mastermind behind it all.

And even though I hadn't been filled in on all the details, I knew the premise of it. After the explosion, Burnside would send in several divisions through the gap in the lines created by the explosion and finish clearing a path, then remaining regiments would rush through and seize a road not far off.

From there, Burnside would team up and support another commander's flanks as they rushed to Petersburg, possibly taking the city and giving us a major advantage and winning the war. But the night before, Burnside approached me, and I saw Meade not trailing far behind him.

Ambrose said to me, "General Grant, please inform Meade that there is nothing wrong with my plan, and that it raises no flags of concern." Meade walked up behind Burnside and cut him a slight glare. I asked, "Meade, what about Ambrose's plan don't you agree with?"

My fellow commander straightened his shoulders and said with a hint of nervousness, "He's planning on sending a colored division into the battle first after the explosion. He's had them trained and everything." I stared in surprise, not knowing that one of the divisions that would be fighting tomorrow was and all colored division.

Meade then added, "Sir, I have no problem against them fighting because of the color of their skin, my problem with it is that if the plan fails, then they will die needlessly and we may suffer political backlash back in the North for allowing such a thing to happen. I say we replace them with another division."

Burnside turned to face Meade and snapped, "There's nothing that will go wrong with my plan!" The two began to argue and bicker before me, and I calmly stepped between the two and shouted, "Shut up! Burnside, I agree with Meade on this. We can't afford to lose any support from the North. Replace those divisions with another one. Understood?"

Burnside narrowed his eyes at me, then said, "Yes, General." He turned sharply on his heel and walked off somewhere else in the camp. I shook my head and turned to face Meade.

"Thank you for letting me know about this, George. If this plan had failed, then there would have been major repercussions to face from the North," I told him. Meade nodded and said, "I'm just doing what I feel is right."

_The Crater_

Early that morning, way before dawn even broke through the horizon, a large explosion erupted, sending pieces of earth high into the sky. The fort that the explosion had happened under, was no longer there, all of its people, ammo, and weapons gone and blown to oblivion.

It had been a trap set in advance by the Union, unbeknownst to the Confederates that were inside. The soldiers that were outside of the fort, hit the ground and scrambled around in a confused daze, unaware of what was going on. Out in the distance, was Ambrose Burnside, his armies and divisions accompanying him.

He was still rather displeased with Grant demanding that his all-colored division, which had been trained for this very fight, had been forced to disband and replaced with another division, one that was all white. So, to recover the number of men he lost when having to get rid of his original division, he requested the men of several other commanders.

And one of these divisions, hadn't even left their trench yet. Burnside saw that they were just sitting there, staring at the explosion in confusion. It then occurred to the commander, that their Brigade General, James H. Ledlie, probably never even went over the plan with them.

Burnside shook his head and shouted to them, "Go! Advance before the Confederates recover!" They all glanced at one another for a moment, then left their trenches and ran for the Crater that had just been created. Like the all-colored division, this one was supposed to go in after the blast and clear out a path for the rest of the army so they could take Petersburg.

But what Ledlie's men did next, wasn't foreseen by everyone. Instead of running around the Crater, they jumped into it, realizing after they were inside, that there was no way for them to get out of the fifty-foot deep hole. Burnside stared in shock, wondering how they could have done something so stupid.

On the Confederate side, Major General William Mahone, quickly gathered up his confused men and restored order after the blast. He then saw that the Union troops were trapped in the massive Crater, and an idea came to his mind. "Troops! Line up around the hole and start firing at them! They can't get out!"

His men acted quickly, grabbing their guns, and did as their commander said. They then began to fire mercilessly at the trapped soldiers, killing them. Mahone smiled and thought to himself, _How foolish can those Union folk be? It's like shooting fish in a barrel!_

Burnside continued to stare at the horror that was taking place before him, but his eyes quickly narrowed. He then turned to Brigade General Edward Ferrero and told him sternly, "Don't just stand there! Send your men in! Now!" Ferrero stared at Burnside for a moment, a fearful chill running up his spine.

The look in Burnside's eyes was one of rage and madness, and the Brigade General knew that Ambrose had lost his sense of reasoning. They shouldn't have sent more men into the fight, they should have withdrawn. But Ferrero was in no position to be making demands, so he sent his men into the fight.

Instantly, the Confederates surrounded Ferrero's men and knocked them down into the Crater, where they were also slaughtered.

Some of the men had snuck by and pushed the Confederate lines back, but Mahone ordered for a sweep and regained the ground that they lost and drove the Union forces back. With no other choice, Burnside withdrew from the battle and returned back to the camp, his plan a total failure.

_Grant_

I couldn't bring myself to stand on my own two feet when I received news from the Battle of The Crater. The fighting had only gone on for that one day, and nearly all of the troops that were sent in, had been violently slaughtered. I ran a hand through my graying hair, then snapped, "What the hell happened out there!"

The soldier that relayed the message to me flinched back and told me, "It turns out that Ledlie was drunk during the fight, and he never told a single one of his men what they were to do out in that battle. They ended up getting trapped in the Crater and shot to death. As for Burnside….He ordered Ferrero's men into the fight instead of retreating, and they were pushed into the Crater and slaughtered as well."

I slammed my hand down on my desk and shouted, "Bring me both of them! Now!" The soldier nodded and fled from my tent. I stood up and paced back and forth angrily. This was unacceptable. The soldier brought in both Ledlie and Burnside.

I narrowed my eyes at Ledlie, who appeared to be torn apart by guilt. Burnside, on the other hand, didn't seem to be bothered in the least bit. "Do you two know what your actions have caused! Thousands of my men were slaughtered out there! Ledlie, your actions are unacceptable, I hope you know that!"

The Brigade General hung his head low and told me quietly, "I….I know, sir…..The guilt….It's been eating me alive since I sobered up and…..And realized what happened….I only ask that I be dismissed after this…..I'm not fit to command anymore." I kept my cold gaze fixed on Ledlie for a moment, then sighed.

"Pack your things and leave, Ledlie. You are dismissed. Go home. Get help," I told him calmly. Ledlie nodded and hurried out of my tent, leaving Burnside with me. My cold gaze shot over to him. "You….What the hell were you thinking out there, Ambrose! You should have known to retreat after Ledlie's army was decimated!" I shouted at him.

Burnside only stood there, calm and collected. He said flatly, "This wouldn't have happened if you let me keep my all-colored division that was trained for this mission. Instead, I was given the untrained division of a drunkard. They deserved what they got." I stared at Burnside in pure disgust.

"Ambrose….This war….It's turned into something inhuman, and because of this…..I'm stripping you of your command. You and Ledlie will not fight in this war any longer," I said harshly.

Burnside held his head high as he told me, "Fine. But getting rid of me is the biggest mistake you'll ever make, Grant." Burnside turned on his heel and stalked out of my tent. I sat down at my desk, completely drained. _Ledlie….Ambrose….Who's going to be next? _"This is the saddest affair I've witnessed in this entire war…."

_Shun_

Ever since I was 'put in my place' when I first arrived at Camp Sumter, I had hardly moved from the spot on the ground where they left me. My injuries wouldn't allow it, along with the fact that I was weakened from hunger.

Here, they hardly have us any food; they only gave us enough to get by on. Water was the same way. I woke up late one night. Moonlight filtered through the bars on our cell and illuminated the ground where I slept on, allowing me to see around me.

My sides burned and felt like they were on fire, thanks to my injuries that were not healing quickly on their own. It took me a moment to realize that there was something laying on my body, and when I glanced down, I saw it was a familiar brown cloak, the very one that the boy had been wearing when I took the beating for him.

"So, where are you from?" a voice asked. I turned my head and saw the boy huddled up in his corner like usual. I asked weakly, "Who? Me?" He nodded and said, "Yeah. You're the only one awake. Well, as far as I can tell." This was the first time I had heard this boy say a single word, and for a while, I thought that he might never say anything.

I told him, "New York." The boy nodded and told me, "That's a long way away….I was from Illinois." He then cast his eyes down, an action that I seen one too many times since the war began. He was thinking of his old home, and those he had left behind.

I then asked him, "How did somebody as young as you end up in this war?" The boy smiled a bit and told me, "Back in my hometown, my father and both my brothers signed up for the war and left, leaving me and my mother behind. Well, they all ended up dying in battle, and when the recruiters came around looking for more volunteers to join the war, I jumped at the chance to redeem their deaths. And yeah, I was younger than the allotted age, but the Union is desperate for new soldiers, so they took me. And here I am."

This boy was obviously either really brave, or really stupid for doing such a thing, I wasn't sure which, but I didn't hold it against him. He did that to fight for his family's honor and their safety. That was what he had to fight for, and I had learned that a soldier with no cause for fighting in a war usually die.

Those with reasons to live, normally survive. I told him, "It's good to have something to fight for….It keeps you alive." He rested his chin in the palm of his hand and said, "Hmm. That's true, I suppose. What about you? Do you have something to fight for?"

A hollow feeling formed in my stomach, and I turned away from the boy and stared up at the ceiling of our cell. "Yeah…When the war first started, I didn't have much reason to fight. Hell, I didn't even want to because I had been drafted….But I met somebody, and she gave me a reason….I promised her that after the war, I would find her, but I didn't predict being taken prisoner. And now…And now I'm wondering if I'm even going to get out of this place alive," I told the boy, and felt a tear form in my eye and roll down the side of my face.

The boy remained silent for a moment, then said, "I'm sure you'll get out of here and find her. Fate wouldn't be so cruel to people with intentions as pure as yours." I found myself smiling a bit when he told me that. I then tried to sit up, but didn't get very far before my sides became ablaze in pain, and I fell back down writhing in the pain.

It slowly died down, but the phantom pains still lingered. The boy told me, "You really shouldn't move around too much. It will only exacerbate your injuries and make them worse." I laid there, panting and drained of my already low energy thanks to the stupid stunt I just tried to pull.

"I'll…..I'll keep that in mind," I said in between pants of air. The boy then said to me, "Hey, I never got to thank you for stopping those Guards that day. That took a lot of guts and courage, and that's something that isn't normally seen around in this camp anymore…..If only more of the prisoners in here had some, then maybe we could stand up to those Guards….But everyone is so weak and scared, they can't do anything."

The boy closed his eyes and sighed, then opened them back up and gazed at the moon through the cell door. I closed my eyes and said, "You know…..Before the war, I would have loved to get out of New York and travel all over the states…But since I was pulled into the war and forced to go to all these places and fight and kill…..I would have taken back that wish to see all these places…."

I then became short of breath and coughed, feeling blood come up into my mouth. And because of this, my sides burned with pain again as my broken ribs and bruised insides were moved. The boy told me, "Maybe you shouldn't talk too much either. It's seems like it's going to cause you pain as well."

I grimaced as the last of my pain died down, then relaxed a bit. The boy curled up deeper into his corner and said, "I don't think you and I were properly introduced, now that I think about it….I'm Noah." I looked over at him and told him, "Shun."

Noah smiled and let a yawn escape his mouth. His eyes then closed, and the young boy fell asleep there in his corner. I found myself smiling, glad that I had found at least one person that was still holding onto their sanity in this prison, and fell asleep with a sense of calmness with knowing this.

* * *

yup. that's Noah from Mechtanium Surge. :p i needed somebody else to throw into this, so who better than him? also, get ready for A LOT of fighting coming up. The Siege of Petersburg is like, a NINE month campaign and fight. o.o oh boy...read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	44. August 1864: Moral Decay

_Alice_

So far, Ohio had been good to me. The people there were welcoming to me, and I wasn't the only one that they offered their open arms to. It turned out that Ohio was a hotspot for runaway slaves from the South, which was a major plus for me.

It let me know that not all of the world was so bad in these dark times. But my ease that I felt when I first arrived was short-lived. A couple months back, I had this nagging feeling that something bad had happened, but I wasn't sure what. At first, I thought that maybe something might have happened to Shun, and it was still a good possibility.

But I had no way of knowing if something had happened to him, and I pushed the feelings away as jitters that finally caught up to me. That was weeks ago though when I decided to ignoring that feeling, and it had yet to go away, and it was about to drive me crazy. I had to know if Shun was okay.

_Somehow….I have to find out somehow so I could put my mind to rest…._I was walking into the town that I was staying in for the time-being. The people that inhabited the Northern city were kind, and had come to know my name and even my story of why I left the South. And they accepted me regardless.

I recalled a long time ago, when I was young, that the United States was called the Land of the Free. At the time, I had never understood what 'free' meant because things such as marriage was forced and demanded, and people also owned other people as slaves.

I always thought that if that was what free meant, then I didn't want to be free. But now that I had come to the North to escape that dark life, I finally understood what it was like to be truly free, and I knew if the South won this war, then that freedom would be taken away until somebody decided to stand up to them again.

And God only knows when that would be. Around the town, I could sense that there was a certain unease that had not been present since my arrival. Curious as to what was causing this disturbance, I flagged down a passerby and asked him, "Excuse me, but why does everyone seem so….On edge?"

Even this man appeared to be rather jumpy. He told me, "Some Confederate Lieutenant General by the name of Jubal A. Early is burning a town in nearby Pennsylvania, and he's threatening to burn more towns there, and even take it as far as Maryland. Everyone here is worried that he might turn and try to burn Ohio to the ground next."

Suddenly, I felt the unease that had penetrated this town. It was very likely that this Lieutenant could show up here and attack Ohio, so it wasn't irrational for the townspeople to be thinking like this and to be on edge. I thanked the man for his time and for informing me on the current events.

He nodded and hurried off to wherever he was previously going. I shook my head and continued on my walk through the town. _It feels like the world's starting to finally fall apart at its seems, _I thought grimly.

Between the savage fighting down in Petersburg that I had heard about, and the burning of that Pennsylvanian town, I felt that those atrocities might only be the beginning of more to come.

_Lee_

I was concerned about Early's brash actions up in Pennsylvania. The Lieutenant General was supposed to have been working out of the Shenandoah Valley, but apparently decided to burn a few towns down in his free time. It wasn't so much that I felt pity against the victims of his rampage, but rather that I was worried about what kind of actions General Grant might take against him.

Early most likely wouldn't be able to stand up against an assault from Grant, especially when Union forces and numbers were constantly increasing to keep up with the demand of the war. And yet, I could tell already that our resources were beginning to have a dent form in them.

_It will be a miracle if our supplies see the end of Petersburg, _I thought harshly. So, the last thing that we needed was Grant sending a division up to take down Early, for that would only cut off troops from our front lines, as well allow the Union another path down to Petersburg.

I stepped out of my tent, taking in the sounds of savage battle that filled the air, and set out to find two Generals. It wasn't difficult to find them, for they had been stationed as back-up reinforcements in case things turned for the worst. I approached Major General Richard H. Anderson first.

He was the one in command of an infantry division. The Major straightened up and saluted me. I told him, "Anderson, I need you to find Major General Fitzhugh, and tell him to rally up his Cavalry. You do the same. From there, I want both of you to head up to Culpeper, Virginia and remain there. That way, you can provide aid to Lieutenant Early if he needs it, or return to the front lines here." Major Anderson nodded in understanding and went to go find Fitzhugh so they could take out my orders.

_Grant_

I walked through my camp, examining the wounded soldiers that had been able to crawl back from the battlefield to here to seek medical attention. Some of their injuries weren't all that severe, while others would be lucky to make it through the night.

Many of them were also dropping dead from heat stroke as the sweltering temperatures continued to climb as the day went on. A soldier that was behind the lines and in the camp to help carry injured troops to the infirmary tent, came running up to me.

He was drenched in sweat like the rest of us, but I had no worries of him dropping from a heat stroke, for he wasn't in the intense field of battle that was just a few yards away. He told me frantically, "Sir, you might want to see this! It appears that Lee is sending troops away from the battle!"

I stared at the soldier for a moment, then demanded that he show me what he saw. He then took me towards the edge of our camp and pointed out across the battlefield. Sure enough, I saw a Cavalry and infantry division leaving the Richmond vicinity.

"They must be needed somewhere else," I said under my breath, "this could be our chance to advance." With Lee's men being sent somewhere else, trying another advance would either cut off reinforcements or dilute the Confederate forces that were defending Petersburg.

_Dan_

Orders were suddenly given to us to advance towards Petersburg and Richmond, which made me wonder what had come up that would provoke Grant into ordering us to advance when it hadn't worked all the previous times. But we were in no position to be questioning the orders of our head commander, so we quickly regrouped and began our advance.

The infantry divisions ran up to the opposing lines, fighting savagely as they tried to break through. Quickly, our Cavalry unit jumped into the fight, cutting down Confederate troops as we ran past them on horseback. My mind then began to zone out as I began to think.

Before, all of this fighting and killing was to put an end to the South's tyranny, and that had been the reason that I thought I was fighting for. But since Shun's disappearance, I felt that each Confederate life that was taken, and each advancement that we made, was in the name of getting him and the other prisoners out of the South.

To me, that felt like a more solid and valid reason to fight, rather than to stop the South. Yeah, they needed to have an end come to their inhuman ways, but was that really why everyone was out here fighting? Was everyone risking their lives just to stop the South?

No, they were putting their lives on the line for so many different reasons. Maybe some of them did want to stop the South, but there had to be a deeper reason for why they would join the war, for why they would want to stay alive and kill their fellow man.

I hated that it took me up until then to realize that important fact, but it was better late than never. A voice then shouted to me, "Hey! Stay alert!" My thoughts snapped back into reality, and I remembered that I was out in a battlefield. I tugged on the reigns of my horse as I tried to get away from the savage battle that had begun to wrap around me.

A Confederate soldier that had been shot, fell in front of my horse, startling the animal. My horse reared back, its front legs flailing in defense. I hung in tightly so I wouldn't fall to the ground below me, and desperately tried to calm the animal down.

As I was struggling with the frightened horse, I didn't notice the Confederate soldier that had snuck up beside me, the barrel of his rifle pointed at me, until I saw the flash of gunpowder erupt from the end of the gun. A sharp pain caught me in my side, and I was unable to hold onto the reigns of the horse.

I fell down onto the ground with a thud, and watched through blurred eyes as my horse ran off. I brought my hand down to touch my side that was in pain, and felt a warm liquid that had soaked through the wool fabric of my uniform jacket, and when I looked at my hand, I saw that the liquid was blood.

Beside me, I heard wailing sobs, and I slowly turned my head to see who it was that was crying. It was the Confederate soldier that shot me. He was knelt down beside the soldier that fell in front of me and startled my horse. He shouted in between sobs, "No! Little brother! No!"

Right then, I saw that even our enemies had reasons to fight and stay alive. They were no different than us. Even though I hadn't been the one to kill this man's brother, it didn't matter to him. He fought after that to avenge his little brother's death, and it didn't matter who was in his way.

He wanted his enemies to pay for what they took from him, even though he probably has taken to same thing from many soldiers on the battlefield. _This war…..It's filled with hypocrites….._My eyes then grew heavy, and I passed out on the battlefield, the sounds of gunfire slowly vanishing as I went into an unconscious state.

_Shun_

Our weekly ration of food was thrown into our cell; half a load of bread that was molded and far beyond the point of when it should have been consumed. But my cellmates didn't care. They quickly grabbed the rotten bread and distributed tiny bits out to the others that bunked with us.

One person said, "I wish they'd quit throwing more prisoners into our cells so we wouldn't have to keep decreasing our rations so they can get something to eat." A small piece of bread was tossed in front of me on the floor, where I was still laying. My stomach growled at the sight of the spoiled food, and if I hadn't any self-control, I probably would have eaten the entire thing right then.

But we wouldn't get another ration of food until next week, so we had to make this little bit last. Then again, knowing how harsh Wirz was, he might have even made our rations go to once every two weeks. _I wouldn't put it past him, _I thought harshly.

Around me, my cellmates were nibbling on their newly received rations, even though they knew that this little bit of food wasn't going to make much of a difference for their emaciated bodies or starving stomachs. I had been conservative with my food thus far, but even with that, I was starting to lose weight drastically, and I had a feeling that I wasn't far off from wasting away like the rest of my cellmates.

Over on one of the wooden beds, a Union soldier that had been here a few months longer than I, began to cough. He lifted an outstretched, skeletal hand out in front of him, then it dropped down to his side, and he didn't make another sound. Somebody said, "I think he finally died."

Another then shouted, "I say we take his rations. It's not like he needs it anymore." And sure enough, somebody got up and took the bread from the deceased man's hand, which left a sense of disgust in my mouth. Noah, who was sitting beside me, said under his breath, "Most of them no longer have any of their morals. It's everyone for their selves, I'm afraid."

I hated to admit it, but Noah was right about that. This place turned good people into disgusting shells of who they used to be. Then again, war itself did that as well. Later that night, while the rest of my cellmates were asleep, I turned my head to the side and whispered, "Noah. Hey, Noah. Wake up."

He opened his eyes and looked around the cell with his still-sleepy eyes. "Huh?" he asked and rubbed the sleep away from his face. I asked him, "Do you think that there's anyway out of this place?"

The young boy shrugged his shoulders and told me, "I don't think…Wait…..I noticed a hole in the fence one time. It was behind Wirz's headquarters, if I recall correctly….You're not thinking of escaping here, are you? I mean, you're hardly in any shape to even sit up, much less run from this prison. They'll send dogs after you, or run you down foot and shoot you. You'll be a deadman if you try and escape from here."

I took in a shaky breath and forced myself to sit up, gritting through the pain that moving brought along with it. Dirt and dust from the ground that I had been laying on the past couple of months, fell from the back of my shirt.

I turned and told Noah, "Then mark me as a deadman, but I refuse to die in here and in this prison like some kind of animal." I didn't care if they shot me down right in front of the main gate of this place, I didn't want to be like that prisoner that died earlier in the day and had the only worldly possession to him stolen from his corpse.

Noah stared down at the ground as he thought for a moment. He then said, "Alright. I'll help you find a way to get out of here, but on one condition. You have to take me as well…..I don't want to keep living like this and die in pain from hunger or from being abused."

I grinned and told him, "Sounds like a plan to me." I then extended my hand out to him. Noah stared at it for a moment, then took my hand in his and shook it, sealing our promise with a handshake.

* * *

it's freezing X( brrr... there might not be an upload tomorrow because i'm going out of town for a funeral. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	45. September 1864: All These Lives

_Dan_

I finally woke from my unconscious state, and found myself laying in a cot in one of the infirmary tents. There were four or five others that were sharing the tent with me, and every one of them were either out cold or sleeping soundly thanks to pain medication. It then occurred to me why I was in this tent. I reached down and held my side where I had been shot on the battlefield.

The injury was bandaged, but I could feel the stitches underneath. _I should consider myself lucky, _I thought grimly. That bullet, if it had been fired a couple of inches more to the side, would have killed me. Suddenly, the field doctor walked into my tent and began to look over his sleeping patients.

He then realized that not everyone was asleep. "Oh, you're awake. That's great. It means that you're healing," he said with a tired smile. I couldn't even begin to fathom the kind of stress that this one man must have gone through since the war started. He had to treat hundreds of injured soldiers that were screaming in agony, then live with the fact that he couldn't save them all.

I asked him, "How long have I been out?" He was checking another soldier's bandages when he told me, "Hmm….A couple of weeks." I stared at the doctor, not sure if he was telling the truth or giving me some kind of ludicrous lie as a joke. But when he didn't start laughing, I knew that he wasn't kidding.

"A couple of weeks?" I asked, still not sure if I had heard him right. The field doctor nodded slowly and added, "Yeah. Be thankful that it was just a rather severe flesh wound that you obtained out there. Anything worse, and you might not have ever woken up."

With that, he left out of the tent and most likely went to go check on the rest of his patients. I laid there in my cot, still unable to wrap my mind around the thought that I had been unconscious for over a week. Perhaps it wasn't all from the injury. Maybe some of it had been from the shock of having my own mortality placed before me.

I then began to think how far our original group had come since the start of the war, and how after Joe's leg injury, things seemed to have started to turn for the worse. _Yeah…First Joe….Then Shun…..Now me, _I thought grimly. At least I knew that Joe was fine, and that I would most likely make a full recovery and return to the battlefield soon.

Shun, on the other hand, was a totally different story. I had no idea about his current condition, or if he was even alive, for that fact. _He's got to be. If I know Shun well enough, then he's not going to go down without a fight, _I quickly told myself to try and bring some positive outlook to my thoughts.

As I laid there in my cot, I realized that the booming of battle was rather quiet and more subdued than usual. Curious, I lifted my head up enough to where I could see through the tent flaps. Outside, it was pitch black, only a bit of light outside from either a campfire or a lantern.

_It's nighttime, _I told myself. I then forced myself into a sitting position, gritting my teeth as the pain from my wound began known. But it wasn't too much for me to handle, and once that was done with, I swung my legs around and placed my feet on the ground.

Standing proved to be a bit more difficult than sitting up, but I was able to manage. From there, I limped out of the tent and into the cool night air. The smell of gunpowder, for the first time since this siege began, didn't permeate the air. For once, the air smelled clean and pure, like it would have before this war.

I took in a deep breath of the air, then looked up at the night sky. It was littered with stars, something that I hadn't paid attention to in quite some time. They danced happily up in the sky, for the effects of the war couldn't touch them. They had no worries, and I recalled a time when I didn't have any worries either.

It was before, and even at the beginning of the war. At one point in time, I thought that nothing could touch me, that I was invincible in this war. But that had been proved wrong, and a reality check slapped me in the face in the form of a bullet wound in my side. _If only that reality check had happened sooner._

Maybe then my arrogance that I, or any of my other friends, would never sustain injuries or have tragedy befall them during the war, would have been quelled much sooner, and nothing would have happened to us. My mind then wandered back to the first battle that we were all in, and how I lost a friend in it.

It had been Jake, and it felt like ages since I reminisced on his death. Yeah, I had taken the loss of my friend rather hard, but I didn't dwell on it mainly because I knew that there was nothing I could have done to help him, to save him. But as for Joe and Shun, I might have been able to do something for them.

No, there wasn't much I could have done for either of them. Then why did I feel like there was something that I could have done? Was it guilt? Perhaps it was guilt in Joe's case, for I had promised that I wouldn't allow anything to happened to him during the war, and yet, he ended up getting injured.

Shun, though, I made no promises to. Maybe I was beating myself up over his loss because he was my best friend, and I felt like I had an obligation to look out for him, and vice versa. My thoughts came to an abrupt halt when somebody told me, "Hey, you shouldn't be out of your bed. Get back in your tent."

I looked over to my right and saw the field doctor was pointing to the tent behind me. I quickly nodded and slipped back inside of the canvas structure, my thoughts raging silently about in my mind.

_Shun_

A couple days prior to our planned escape date, Noah had gone out in the courtyard and examined the spot in the fence where we were to flee the prison from. He explained to me that it was directly behind Wirz's office, and that if we were careful, then we could slip right by without being detected by the ruthless commander.

But I had quickly become suspicious of why this break in the fence was not blocked off and couldn't help myself from bringing it up to Noah. It was just too strange for me to let it be, and he understood my concern. He told me, "It's a hole that was dug by a raccoon sometime ago, and none of the Guards thought anything of it.

Besides, what reason would they have to worry about anyone escaping? Everyone here is either too afraid or too weak to do anything." Noah's last statement made a good point. The Guards here were filled with arrogance, and they had every right to have that arrogance, for they and Wirz ruled over this prison with an iron fist.

Perhaps Noah and I were the only ones brave enough to even think about attempting this escape. But we had gone well beyond thinking about fleeing this camp, for we were now in the process of actually putting this plan into actions. It was the night of our planned escape, and we had waited till all of our cellmates had gone to sleep.

I glanced through the iron-barred cell door to look around for Guards. A few were patrolling way on the other side of the camp, and the ones closest to our cell, were sound asleep. I turned around and gave Noah a single nod to let him know that things were at their most ideal time for us to make our move.

He gave me a nod in return and dug under a pile of hay that was in the corner of the cell, and pulled out two thin metal wires that he obtained by trading his rations to another prisoner. Noah then ran up to the cell door, while I stood off to side and watched as he used to the two wires to pick the lock on the door.

As I stood there, I continued to clutch tightly onto my injured side. Even though my injuries had healed up to the point to where I was able to walk around, they were still radiating pain that was rather uncomfortable. There was a clicking noise, and the cell door suddenly swung open a bit.

"I got it," Noah whispered in victory. We both looked around to make sure the coast was clear, then took off across the main courtyard of the prison. I wasn't able to run to my full speed, but I forced myself through the pain in my side and did the best that I could.

The two of us quickly ducked behind a storage room, both of us panting for exhausted that was already taking over us. If our stay in this prison hadn't drained us of so much of our life, then this task would have been an easy one to take on.

But both Noah and I were far from the shape we had been in when we were first brought to this prison, and that alone was proving to be a task on its own. Noah pointed over to a building across from us and said under his breath, "That's Wirz's office. Right behind there, is the hole under the fence."

We stood there behind the storage room for a couple more minutes, waiting for the moment that we would be able to run for our freedom. That time finally came and Noah and I ran across the courtyard, then ducked behind Wirz's office. Noah had a wide smile across his face.

"I can't believe we're finally about to get out of this hellhole," he whispered happily. As we snuck around the office, I caught a glimpse of the animal-made hole beneath the fence. It was small, but there appeared to be enough room for us to slide under and out. Suddenly, the backdoor of Wirz's office opened, and the commander was standing before us.

His eyes widened, then became ablaze with anger when he saw us. "Guards! Escaped prisoners!" he shouted loudly, causing the whole camp to stir. Noah and I quickly dashed for the fence, knowing that if we were caught, then it would surely be the end of us.

Behind us, I heard the loading of a gun, and I glanced over my shoulder and saw Wirz had a rifle pointed at us. "Go, Noah! Now!" I shouted urgently. The young boy nodded and slipped beneath the fence with ease. I dove for the hole next, and felt just as a bullet shot the ground next to my leg, tearing the earth up and sending dirt flying into the air.

This gave me some incentive and made me hurry under the fence. As Noah and I fled from the prison, I heard the barking of dogs, and I was suddenly reminded of when I was captured by Klaus and Alice freed me. The circumstances had been somewhat similar to this, the only difference was that I had gotten away unscathed.

In this scenario, there were no promises that Noah and I would actually get away from here. Bullets began to shoot past us, and I made out the thundering of horse hooves trampling the ground. I urged Noah that we needed to pick up our pace, or else the Guards on horseback would surely catch us with ease.

He nodded in agreement, and we ran as fast as our weakened bodies would allow us. Another gun was shot, sending an explosion into the night, and I suddenly heard Noah cry out. The young boy dropped to the ground, clutching his abdomen. "Noah!" I shouted and ran back to his aid.

He was grimacing in pain, and thanks to the moonlight, I saw the blood beginning to soak through his shirt and cover his hand that was clutching the wound. I quickly helped the boy up to his feet and draped his arm over my shoulder.

Thankfully, the boy was able to stand somewhat on his own, taking a load of weight off on me, but this slowed us down considerably and I could hear the Guards nearing us. Acting on impulse, I ducked into the thickest part of the forest that I could find, but I knew that this wouldn't do anything against the dogs that were trailing us.

Nearby, I heard the gurgling of a stream, and quickly headed towards the source. I eventually found the stream, which was about a six or seven foot drop from the small cliff that Noah and I stood on. I told the boy, "I'm sorry, but I've got to do this."

He looked at me with confusion on his pain-stricken face, and before he could ask me what I meant, I dropped him down into the stream. He landed in the shallow water and cried out in pain from his injury. I didn't hesitate to jump, and almost landed on my feet, but lost my balance and fell into the sandy water.

This, in turn, caused my own injury to act up, but I fought through it. I then reached for Noah and pulled him out of the water and against the eroded cliff that we had jumped from. Now, we were both hidden from sight, and I hoped that our scents had been masked by the stream as well.

Noah sat beside me, whimpering and crying from the pain he was experiencing. "Noah, you have to try and be quiet," I told him in a hushed voice. I knew that was asking a lot from him, for he was in a world of pain that was unbeknownst to him, but he made himself suppress his want to express pain.

I then heard the Guards run past our hiding place, but I didn't move for several minutes; I had to make sure that they really were gone. When I was able to verify that our pursuers really were past us, I let out a heavy sigh. "We did it, Noah. We made it out of there without getting caught," I said with a smile.

But when I didn't hear anything beside me, I quickly turned to look at my injured comrade. His breathing had become slow and shallow, and in the moonlight I could see that his face had lost all of its color. I ran a hand through my hair and told him, "Just hang on, Noah. We'll find somewhere to get you some help."

I was about to help him up to his feet, but he stopped me. The young boy forced his eyes open slightly, then he smiled sadly. "N-no…..You….You have t-to get out of h-here…You've go t-to find that g-girl of yours…..D-don't worry about….About me…..I'll be….fine."

His voice started to trail off into a whisper, then his eyes fell closed and his breathing stopped. I sat there in the wet sand, the only sounds coming from the stream and nocturnal creatures filled the air. A single tear began to form in my eye and rolled down my face, but I blinked away anymore that even thought about forming.

"Alright," I said to Noah's deaf ears, "I guess I have no other choice but to go." I stood up, wet sand falling from my clothes while some of it stuck, then began to follow the water downstream as continued on my way.

* * *

_chapter title based off the song All These Lives by Daughtry. _-starts singing cause i like that song- (all these lives that you've been taking, deep inside my heart is breaking. broken homes from separation, don't you know it's violation? it's so wrong, but you'll see, never gonna let you take my world from me.) X3 i thought that song kind of fit this chapter. eh, that's just me though. :p well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	46. October 1864: Twist Of Fate

_Shun_

All of the walking that I had been doing, had done nothing but exacerbate my injuries. Now, I was to the point that walking was becoming difficult, not to mention catching my breath thanks to my damaged ribs. _But I can't stop…I have to keep going, _I told myself defiantly.

Since I escaped from the prison, I had yet to come across any town. Well, there had been a few that I had stumbled upon, but they were not places that would provide the help that I needed, to somebody like me. And what I meant by that, was that they would most likely know I was Union the moment I asked them for help due to the fact that my Northern accent was extremely recognizable.

Since the Southern cities were out of the question for help, that only left the North and its occupied territory. But the thing was, I wasn't entirely sure if I was heading in the right direction. My mind had become cloudy and foggy, making up and down hard to decipher from each other.

So, I continued to lumber on blindly, hoping that I was traveling in the right direction. For a moment, I stopped and took a break. I sat on the ground and leaned my back against the base of a tree, clutching tightly onto my injured sides that were pulsating with intense pain.

When I escaped from the prison, my wounds had healed enough that I was able to walk and get around on my own with little pain, but all of the walking had done nothing but reopened those healed wounds, returning me back to my previous state, if not worse.

On top of that, I had only eaten what I was able to forage from the land; plants and such. And sadly, that wasn't very much, or even enough to provide me the least bit of energy that I needed. Around me, the trees and night sky started to spin a bit, and I quickly shook it off, returning my world to the closest state of normalcy that I was able to manage.

As I sat there at the base of the tree, nearly rolling in pain, I couldn't help but think that things would be better for me if I would just die. That way, I wouldn't have to deal with all of this agony. _But I can't. I can't die. Not now. Too many people are depending on my survival. _

A weak smile formed on my lips and I said to myself, "Noah would roll over in his grave if I gave up now." My smile then vanished and turned into a fine line when I brought up Noah's name. The only friend and person that I could rely on in the entire prison, had been gravely injured while escaping from the jail with me, and there had been nothing I could do for him.

I would have stayed behind and tried everything in my power to help him, but before he died, Noah had insisted that I go on, for Alice's sake. He told me that I had to go, that I had to get away and find Alice again and keep up my end of our promise. And I did just that.

I left Noah's lifeless form there in that stream, and traveled since that day last month. I sighed, even though it brought some pain with it, then stood up, using the tree as a prop to help me up to my feet. The urge to cough then came over my body, and I gave into the needs of my injuries.

When I did so, I could taste the coppery taste of blood in my mouth. _Looks like I'm back to doing that again, _I thought grimly. All of this traveling and pushing my weakened body to its limits, what not beneficial to my health. If anything, it was extremely detrimental.

The best thing I could have done was stay laid up in a bed somewhere, but that was out of the question. I had nowhere safe that I could go, as far as I knew. Suddenly, I was overcome with a sense of loss when I realized that this task before me was larger than I had anticipated, even impossible.

But I had pulled myself out of worse situations, and I would try to see this through the end until I wasn't able to anymore. I went back to holding tightly onto my sides, then continued to walk in the direction that I had been going.

After what I assumed had been a couple of hours, the sun began to peek over the horizon, chasing away the darkness of night with each passing minute. And before I knew it, high-noon was upon me, bringing with it the heat that only the South could manage in the middle of October.

During this time, my breathing was starting to become ragged and difficult to catch. I had to stop several times just to try and regulate my breathing rhythm. But this was starting to become not enough, and I could feel my body rapidly approaching a state of collapse.

I should have probably stopped walking and rested for a day or so, at least until I was in a slightly better condition, but I didn't. I kept on walking, ignoring my body's cries for rest.

As I forced myself to travel a bit further, I found that I had stumbled into a town. But before I could even get I good look at it, my body gave out at long last, and I collapsed right at the edge of the town.

_Runo_

It felt like any other day; the usual, everyday things were being carried on. Julie and I had just finished running up to the post office to check for any new letters for us from either Billy or Alice. Since we received that letter from our estranged friend a couple of months ago, we had been keeping our eyes open for another one, but there hadn't been anymore since then.

Billy, on the other hand, had found some time to write back to Julie, which provided the silver-haired girl with some sense of relief from all of the stress that was weighing down on our shoulders. We stepped out of the post office, Julie holding on tightly to her new letter from Billy, and I looking through the mail that was to be given to my parents.

Suddenly, the silver-haired girl stopped abruptly, causing me to run into her and drop the letters that were in my hands. "Julie," I growled and bent down to pick up the fallen mail, but she reached behind her and latched onto my wrist. "Runo, isn't that?" said asked me without tearing her gaze from whatever was in front of her.

I reluctantly left the mail on the ground and stood back up to see what she was talking about. "Isn't that what, Julie?" I asked with a hint of annoyance. She then held her arm out and pointed out in front of her. I followed the direction that she was pointing in, then felt my eyes widen.

Somebody was stumbling into the town, and they looked kind of familiar, but it was hard for me to be sure at such a distance. Suddenly, the mystery person collapsed onto the ground, and for a moment, I wondered if I had witnessed somebody drop dead before my very eyes.

Julie latched back onto my wrist and pulled me forward, "Come on, Runo! That person needs help!" I tried to free myself from Julie's death grip, but it proved to be futile. So, I hung along for the ride as she pulled me towards the person who just collapsed before us.

It appeared that nobody else in the town seemed to have noticed this happen, and I wondered if that was a good or bad thing. When we got closer, my eyes widened even more. "That's…..That's that Union soldier that Alice knows," I said in a shocked voice. Julie seemed to be just as surprised as me.

What was he doing back here? The only thing that I knew about him, was that he was a part of Grant's army, who was locked in combat at the moment. Julie knelt down beside the unconscious Union soldier, and checked him for a pulse. She told me, "I've got one. Runo, we need to get him some help. Alice would want us to help him."

I bit my lower lip as I thought about this. Yeah, I was losing my support for the Confederacy, but I wasn't ready to be arrested for treason against the South. And if it was ever discovered that Julie and I helped a Union soldier, then there would be hell to pay. "Runo!" Julie snapped at me in a whining voice.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Let's get him to my house and I'll ask the doctor to come take a look at him," I said quickly and mentally slapped myself for agreeing to take part in such a lucrative act. _Well, as long as he doesn't talk, nobody should know he's from the North…..But that still doesn't explain to anyone who he is or where he came from, _I thought to myself as I helped Julie flag down a carriage driver.

Thankfully, he didn't mention anything about to unconscious stranger that we had with us. We arrived back at my house, where we quickly carried our unexpected guest inside. Lucky for us, my parents weren't at home at the time, and would also be working late that night.

Julie and I placed him in the guest bedroom, both of us panting from the strenuous labor of carrying his weight. I told Julie, "I'll go back into town and ask the doctor to come out here and take a look at him." Julie nodded and I hurried back towards town, still mentally kicking myself for allowing this to happen.

_Runo_

The doctor had been somewhat reluctant to leave his office, saying that things had been rather hectic lately. But after much convincing, he gave in and followed me to my house to take a look at his newest patient. Now, he was in the guest room, examining the injuries, while Julie and I sat in the living room waiting.

The silver-haired girl said to me, "What are the odds of him showing back up here?…Hey, what was his name again? Didn't Alice say it was something like Shawn?" It had been a couple of years since Alice introduced us to this Union soldier, and it hadn't been under acceptable circumstances.

She had followed the Union soldiers and actually joined in a battle, and later on Julie, Alice's grandfather, and I traveled out there by train to retrieve her before any real harm came to her. That was when we were first introduced to this guy, and I had remembered the name ever since.

"It's Shun, Julie. Alice said his name's Shun," I told her flatly. The silver-haired girl's expression lit up with recognition. "Oh, yeah! That's right!" she exclaimed. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. The doctor then stepped out of the guest room, carefully shutting the door behind him.

"Well," I asked, "what's the story, doc?" The doctor returned his equipment into his bag and clicked the latches closed. He then told us, "I treated the wounds to my best abilities and have him bandaged up. Make sure he doesn't try and get out of the bed when he wakes up. He needs to be on bed-rest for quite some time. Also, he's running a bit of a fever, so try and keep a cool cloth on his forehead. I'll send you the bill later on in the week."

With that, he picked up his bag and left without another word. Julie stood beside me and said, "Thank goodness he didn't ask about who Shun was." I glanced over at her and said, "Why would he? He's getting paid to treat him, not to get to know him." Julie shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Good point."

I turned on my heels and stepped into the guest room to see our company. Shun was sleeping soundly, a damp washcloth on his forehead from where the doctor went ahead and took the liberty of starting to treat his fever. The doctor also cleaned him up a bit as well, making him look more like he did when Julie and I first met him.

Although, he had dark circles under his eyes that were rather profound, and his face was somewhat pale from either his injuries or from the fever. From under the edge of the covers, I could see the bandages that the doctor had wrapped around Shun's chest.

Julie then joined me in the room and asked me, "What are we going to tell your parents when they get home? They know it's not like you to bring a total stranger into the house."

I stood there, examining our sleeping, ill guest before telling my friend, "I'm just going to tell them that he's an old friend of Alice's that lives nearby, and that he came by to visit her, not knowing that she wasn't here anymore, and then got into a fight with a couple of the guys in the town…..Hopefully, she'll believe that."

Julie nodded and stepped out of the room, and I followed shortly behind her, pulling the door closed behind me. And one thought remained in my head for many nights to come, _What am I doing?_

* * *

hmm. let's see, there will probably be 6+ more chapters, for we are nearing the end of the war! yeah! read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	47. November 1864: Waking Up

_Runo_

Shun, as far as Julie and I knew, hadn't woken up since we brought him back to my house to treat his injuries. He had remained asleep in the guest bed for a couple weeks, while me and the silver-haired girl followed the doctor's orders and kept treating the low-grade fever that he had been running.

As for my parents, they bought the semi-lie that I told them about Shun. Some parts of my story were true, like how he and Alice did know each other. But I lied when I said that he had come into town looking for her to catch up and gotten into a fight.

Regardless, my parents bought the story and let Shun stay in the guest room until he was well enough to travel. Julie and I still had no idea why he was back in this town though. Had it just been sheer coincidence? When we found him, he wasn't in the best of shape, which told me that something had happened to him prior.

But we had no knowledge of what that thing was, and we wouldn't know until he woke up and gave answers to our ever-building questions. At the time, Julie and I were sitting around in the living room of my house, sipping on tea and creating idle chit-chat to pass the time.

I glanced over at the Grandfather Clock across the room and saw that it was a little past noon. "I guess I'll go check on him again. Maybe he's awake now," I told the silver-haired girl. She nodded and continued to drink her beverage. I walked down the short hallway and stopped in front of the guest room.

Out of habit, and common courtesy, I lightly knocked on the door. There was no response, and I figured that Shun was most likely still asleep. I quietly stepped inside, and my assumptions were proven correct. The damp cloth that we had been keeping on his forehead for his fever, had fallen off and landed beside his head on the pillow.

I sighed and picked the cloth up, and felt that almost all of the water had dried up in it. Before I decided to replenish the cloth with water and return it to Shun's forehead, I gently reached down and placed my hand on his cheek, searching for any signs of a lingering fever.

There didn't seem to be any, but I decided it wouldn't hurt to be on the safe side. So, I took the cloth over to a bowl of water we had left in the room, and dipped it into the liquid, then squeezed the excess out. And after folding the cloth back into a perfect rectangle, I placed it back on my guest's forehead.

My services were no longer needed, but I didn't leave the room. Instead, I stayed standing there at Shun's beside, pondering over my choices I had made the past few weeks. When I thought about it, if it hadn't been for Alice's relationship with this Union soldier, and the fact that my faith was slipping in the Confederacy, I would have never even thought about helping him.

Southerners were supposed to hate the North with a bloody passion, and yet, I found my own malice starting to vanish. When the war first started, and way before Alice was even involved with this soldier, I did hate the North and its people.

I remembered how my hatred had been shown when Alice, Julie, and I first met Shun and his friends. There had been an argument break out between me and the brunette that was with the group, and the anger that he had made me feel lasted for quite some time after our first encounter.

The second time I met him, was when Julie and I went with Alice's grandfather to retrieve her from the site of a previous battle. The anger that I felt the first time, was still there, but even I had noticed that it wasn't as profound.

At first, I had attributed it to the fact that I was happy to have my friend back, but I had been thinking about that day quite a lot, and I finally came to the realization that my malice towards the North may have been fading. Now, it was a fact that I held no hard feelings to the Union any longer, and I found myself wondering if that brunette soldier was still alive.

I wanted to see him again, to apologize for the rude behavior I had exhibited during our first meeting. I glanced back down at Shun, who was still sleeping soundly. Was it possible that I was feeling what Alice felt after first meeting Shun, towards that brunette soldier?

I shook my head. "Ridiculous," I said to myself under my breath. But I found myself thinking that it was anything but ridiculous. I found myself believing it was completely possible, as much as I hated to admit it. Suddenly, I was torn away from my deep thoughts when I heard a soft grunt. I looked down at Shun, and saw that his eyes twitched a bit before opening up halfway.

_Shun_

I forced my eyes open, and found that I was somewhere else entirely different from where I remembered collapsing at. I was in a small room, laid up in a bed. On my chest, I could feel something wrapped tightly around the area that I had been injured from my stay in the prison.

My vision cleared up the rest of the way, and I saw that I wasn't alone. Standing beside my bed, was a familiar bluenette. Memories returned to my mind of the two times that I had met this girl. She was staring at me, apparently surprised.

But her expression quickly turned into a calm one, and a slight smile formed on her lips. "It's about time you woke up," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. I tried to sit up, but the tightness of the bandages around my chest made it difficult to move.

The girl, whose name I was trying to remember, said to me, "You might want to stay laying down. I don't know if you're well enough to try and get up yet." I looked at her for a moment, then nodded and laid back down in the bed. A silence hung in the air for a moment before I finally said, "Thanks for helping me."

I didn't have to ask her what happened, for I already knew. She must have found me after I collapsed, recognized me, then helped me before anyone was there wiser. The girl appeared taken aback by my sudden words, as if she wasn't expecting me to say anything.

She then nodded and said to me, "No problem. Alice would have wanted us to help you, I'm sure." I nodded then asked her, "So, how long have I been out?" The bluenette walked across the room and sat in a wicker chair. "A little over a week or a bit more," she told me once she sat down.

I nodded, thinking that that was a reasonable amount of time for me to have been unconscious, taking into account of the severity of my injuries. Suddenly, the door opened up, and the silver-haired girl stepped in. Her eyes lit up a bit when she saw me. "You're awake!" she squealed happily.

The bluenette turned to her friend and said, "Julie, why don't you go and get him something to drink and eat? I'm sure he'd appreciate that." The girl smiled cheerfully and skipped out of the room, "Alright, Runo. Be right back!" _Oh, yeah. That's what her name was, _I thought to myself. Runo stared at the door for a moment, then looked back at me, her expression a bit serious. "So, why are you back here?" she asked stoically.

I propped myself up a bit on my elbows so I would be able to face her during our conversation. "I escaped from a Prisoner of War camp a while back, and thought I was heading towards Union occupied territory, but I apparently was not. This town just happened to be where I finally gave out at," I replied calmly.

This answer seemed to please Runo, for she didn't ask anymore about my arrival in the town, or about my time in the prison. Julie then skipped back into the room, bringing with her a glass of water and a plate of food. She smiled brightly and set the stuff down on the nightstand beside my bed.

"Here ya go," she said happily. I smiled back and thanked her. Although I wasn't all that hungry, I decided that it would do me some good to eat something to build my strength back up. Julie walked over to where Runo was sitting and asked me, "So, have you seen our Alice recently? We got a letter from her a little while back, but it was really vague about where she was at….All it said was that she was up North and that she was fine."

The overly-perky girl's chipper smile vanished when she spoke about her estranged friend, and I could also see that Runo was also genuinely worried about her. I knew Alice would have wanted me to keep her plans a secret, but I figured that her friends were an exception if she had written them a letter.

I told them, "Yeah, I ran into her a while back. Before I was captured as a Prisoner of War, in fact. She mentioned something about going up to Kentucky and staying there for a bit. Whether or not she made it there, or is still there, is beyond me."

The two girls remained silent as they digested what I had just told them. Perhaps they knew about as much as I did about Alice's whereabouts, which wouldn't have been very much. Runo looked over at her silver-haired friend and said, "Julie, do you mind stepping out of the room for a second? I want to ask Shun something in private."

Julie stared at her friend in confusion, then shrugged it off and left the room. I was just as confused at the silver-haired girl had looked. What would Runo want to talk about that she couldn't say in front of her friend? The bluenette shut her eyes for a moment, then looked at me.

"That friend of yours….The brunette?….Is he still alive?" My confusion only grew even more. "You mean Dan?" I asked, wondering why in the world she would even be concerned about him, seeing as the two didn't get along that well. Runo nodded. "Yeah. Do you know if he' still alive….Or has he died?" she asked in an unsure tone, as if she didn't know the right words to say.

I thought back to the last time that I saw Dan. It had been before I was captured, but that had been some time ago. "He was alive last time I saw him, but anything could have happened in the amount of time since then," I told her honestly. Runo nodded and said under her breath, "I see."

She then stood up from the wicker chair and asked me, "So, what do you plan on doing when you're well enough to leave?" I thought for a moment about what I would do. Of course I was going to return to the battlefield, for I had a score to settle with Klaus, considering he was still alive now.

But I didn't have much of an idea of how I would manage to get back there. I told Runo, "I plan on going back to the frontlines and resuming where I left off." She nodded and walked over to the door, then grabbed onto the knob and stood there for a moment.

"When you're ready to head out, tell me. I can get you a train ticket to a town in the state over, but that's as far as you can go, for the Union has torn apart most of the South's railroads. It'll be up to you to get to your destination on your own after that."

I nodded, letting her know that I understood what she had just told me. Runo then gave me a single nod and stepped out of the room, leaving me by myself.

* * *

sorry for not uploading a lot during the week. i kind of decided to take some personal days to rest my brain and hands from the keyboard (they start to hurt after a while). read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	48. December 1864: One Way Ticket

_Shun_

I leaned my head against the window of the train car and watched as the landscape flew past me. A couple of days ago, I finally departed from Runo's and set out to return to the heart of the battle to settle and unfinished score.

Just as the bluenette had promised, she was able to get her hands onto a train ticket that would take me as far as the tracks would allow, which was about one state over due to the fact that the Union had been ripping up the Confederacy's railroad systems. And after the train stopped, it would be all up to me to get to my final destination from there.

But for the time being, I was going to enjoy my last few days of peace and relaxation before I returned to the battlefield. As I sat in my seat on the train, I began to wonder if I really did want to go back into the fight. If I wanted to, I could have just gone out on my own and tracked down Alice and carry out my life like nothing was wrong.

_But if I did that, I'd be considered as a deserter to the Union, _I silently told myself. And if that was ever discovered, then there could possibly be a serious price to pay for that crime. Although, it would take the government quite some time to track me down, but I saw no point in living a few years with Alice and then being thrown into jail, when I could just ride out the rest of the war and enjoy the rest of my days with her company.

The second scenario sounded much better than the first. I sighed and glanced slightly over my shoulder in order to look at the back of the train. There weren't many people riding with me; about five or six max. They were all scattered about the train, not paying any mind to each other and keeping to themselves.

The train ride brought back a sense of nostalgia to me. It made me think back to when the war first started, and when all of the soldiers from my hometown were loaded up onto the trains and sent out to training camp. Those days felt like they happened a lifetime ago, when it was only four years or so.

I recalled when days and months would fly by with the blink of an eye, but since I had been in this war, it felt like each hour was endless, as if the universe wanted us all to suffer with each waking minute. With that realization, I couldn't help but wonder if the world would return to its speedy pace after the war's end.

Would things resume to its old fast-paced ways, when the moment the sun rose into the sky, it felt like it set the next minute? My thoughts were abruptly halted when somebody in the back of the train cleared their throat. I looked up and saw that his eyes were narrowed at me, and I quickly realized that I had been staring at this person without any knowledge of it.

Out of awkwardness, I turned back around. The people that accompanied me on the train, were obviously all Southerners, and as long as I didn't talk, they would never know that I was from the North. I found it ironic that the North and South were fighting each other, and yet, whenever we encountered each other, nobody could tell where you were from unless you spoke.

It was such a war filled with irony and irrational logic, that even those with a perverse sense of humor would cringe away from it. I sighed and leaned my head back against the window, and found myself being lulled asleep by the constant rhythm of the train's wheels and engine.

When I finally did succumb to sleep, I felt myself drift off into a dream. I was standing out in a wide open field, bright, rolling waves of grass flowing in the wind as if it were water. There didn't appear to be a single sign of any human interference anywhere here, proving that this was a place untouched by the war or any other creation of man.

Above, the sky was a perfect blue, and dotted with clouds here and there. And despite the fact that it was December, the air was surprisingly warm and comfortable, as if it were an early summer morning. I took a couple steps forward, dragging my fingertips along the surface of the sea of grass, feeling the smooth blades brush my hand.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath of the clean air, and I found myself smiling. It felt so peaceful here. Since the war began, there had been times when I wondered if I would ever feel so serene ever again. In fact, I hadn't felt this at ease before the war either.

When I opened my eyes up again, a giant oak tree had suddenly appeared out in the middle of the massive field. Curious, I walked through the rolling sea of grass and towards the massive tree. As I got closer, I saw that there was someone on a rope swing that was tied to one of the tree's large limbs.

I watched from a distance as they swung back and forth on the swing, then began to walk closer to it once more. Now that I was a bit closer, I was able to catch a glimpse of bright orange hair flying through the air with each movement of the rope swing. "Alice?" I asked with curiosity.

As if the person heard me, they glanced over their shoulder, showing me their face. And it was, in fact, Alice. She smiled and said to me, "I was wondering when you'd find me, Shun. I take it the war is finally over?" I found that I had walked right up to the tree, and that I was leaning against the massive trunk.

"This is where you've been since I last saw you?" I asked, allowing the fact that this was a dream, to slip my mind. Everything here was so perfect, and I didn't want to remind myself that it was just a creation of my sleeping mind. Alice, still sitting on the rope swing, smiled and nodded to answer my question.

"Mhm. I found this place and saw that it was shielded from all of the violence of the war, and decided it was a good a place as any to stay till the war ended," she told me while gazing up at the powder blue sky. I found myself doing the same thing, and I was getting lost in a trance as I watched one particular cloud drift by.

Alice suddenly said, "It's so peaceful here." I nodded in agreement, thinking that it would be wonderful to stay here for a long time and soak in the serenity of it all. As I continued to gaze up at the sky, I noticed that the blue was slowly starting to be replaced with gray ashes.

Soon, the entire sky was blacked out. Alice and I looked around in confusion, wondering what was going on in this paradise that we had stumbled upon. She then looked to me, for some kind of explanation I'm sure, and said, "Shun, what's-"

Her words were cut off by the all too familiar sound of gunfire, but that wasn't what caused her to stop speaking. A spurt of blood shot out of her chest as a bullet cut through her body. Her brown eyes were wide as she fell backwards out of the rope swing.

"Alice!" I shouted and caught her just before her cold body landed on the ground. "Alice!" I shouted desperately as I tried to shake her awake. She only made a small noise for a split second before the life was taken out of her. Tears were running down my face as I stayed knelt on the ground, holding tightly onto Alice's limp frame.

Suddenly, I was overcome with memories of people that I had lost since the beginning of the war, and I realized that I was almost completely all alone now; I had nearly lost everybody that I had come in contact with. The smell of smoke began to fill the air, and I looked out into the distance and saw orange flames were lapping up into the air and spreading through the field of grass, consuming every last blade in its path.

A ways in front of the fire, I saw the Confederate army marching ahead of it, as if their footsteps were leaving behind a path of destruction. Out of the corner of my eye, I also saw the Union army approaching the Rebel forces, and they were leaving behind their own path of mass destruction, just like the Confederates.

This was war incarnate, and all of the pain it caused. It turned a place that was peaceful and untouched, into an ashen battlefield that would soon be stained with blood. Suddenly, the two armies clashed with each other before me, and the flames behind them quivered with the intensity of battle.

I remained next to the oak tree, still clinging on to Alice as if it would do her any good. I wanted to get up and fight. I wanted to get up and get revenge on whoever it was that had taken Alice from me this time. But I couldn't bring myself to move from where I was knelt down.

It was as if I was frozen and being forced to watch the true horrors of war. Out in the midst of the fighting, I caught a glimpse of Klaus running through the battlefield, cutting down his enemies at their knees. I felt my anger stir a bit at the sight of him, but it quickly died down when he vanished and my attention was focused back on the fighting.

I shut my eyes tightly, not wanting to watch it anymore, but I found myself opening them again. And when I did open them, I timed it just right as a stray cannonball was barreling towards me. It burrowed its way into the ground, sending up an eruption of earth that knocked me back.

That was when I finally woke up. I jumped in my seat, and was ready to bolt if need be. Around me, a couple of the other passengers were looking at me in confusion, I quickly began to try and calm myself down, but that was proving to be rather difficult.

My heart was racing from the dream turned nightmare, and my hands were also trembling. I sat back into my seat and took in several deep, slow breaths as a means to calm my raging nerves.

_Shun_

It had taken about half and hour for me to fully relax, and even after that, I felt a bit on edge. That dream had made me realize how war looked to people on the outside, rather than how it looked to us who were fighting in it. It was still just about as scary as being in the battle itself, but it was the way that it was interpreted that had gotten to me.

War was like a disease, one that could turn everything upside down and on edge to where nothing would be right ever again. It destroyed not only the world, but the people that inhabited it. And because of that, I knew that it had to be put to an end soon, while we still had a chance to salvage what was left of our old lives.

I looked back out of my window and saw that the train was rolling up to our designated station. Outside, I could hear the brakes hiss and groan as they slowed the train to a stop. The conductor then stepped into our train car and told us, "We've arrived at your stop."

He then vanished into the train car ahead of us, perhaps to tell other passengers that they needed to get off. I stood up and reached beneath my seat, where I retrieved a small bag of clothes that Julie had been kind enough to send me off with.

Along with that, there was also a map inside that had a route marked to where I was at before being captured. From there, I would have to guess where Grant and the other soldiers went after I was taken prisoner. I climbed out of the train and stepped onto the station platform.

It was nearing nighttime, and the platform was virtually deserted and void of life. This was mainly due to the fact that we were near Union occupied territory, and most of the town had probably left before the fighting invaded their town. I slung the bag over my shoulder and started off towards the town.

Now that I was at the end of my travels by train, I had to find another way to get where I needed to go. So, my next task was to find a horse that would get me to my destination, and I would have to do this before the remainder of the townspeople turned in for the night, for I wanted to get a move on as quickly as possible, despite the nearing late hours of night.

When I walked into the town, I caught a glimpse of a man untying the reigns of his horse's bridle from a post, and he was just about to climb up onto the horse's back when I stopped him. "Excuse me, sir," I said in the closest thing to a Southern drawl I could manage. He seemed to have bought my fake accent though, for he didn't start making it known to the town that I was a Northerner.

"Yes? May I help you?" he asked. I looked over at the horse that the man was just about to get on and said, "How much you want for the horse?" He stared at me in surprise, then chuckled and patted the horse's side. "Sorry, he ain't for sale," he told me.

I figured that something like this would happen, and it made me glad that Runo and Julie had insisted that I take some money with me. I reached into my bag and pulled out about twenty dollars, which was quite a good bit of money.

I said to the man, "I hear that money is pretty tight here in the South, with the Union crippling the economy and all that. Are you sure you aren't willing to part with your horse now?" The man kept glancing back and forth between his horse and the money, then said, "Fine. Take him."

He tossed me the reigns and I handed him the money, which he took and began to count. Yeah, the horse was probably worth way less than what I had just given that stranger, but it didn't matter; it wasn't like I bought the horse for personal gain or to make profit off of.

I needed it to get where I was going, and that was all that mattered. I tied my bag onto the back of the horse's saddle, then climbed up onto the saddle. The animal seemed to be rather apprehensive about having a strange rider, but it quickly got over it and relaxed a bit. From there, I dug my heels into the horse's side and steered it out of the town I had just arrived in, and headed North.

* * *

_chapter title base off the song One Way Ticket by Finding Atlantis. _to the person who reviewed (can't recall the name and too lazy to check) thank you for correcting the spelling. i use a rather old computer, and for some reason, my spell-check messed up sometime ago, and every time i type in cavalry, it turns it into Calvary, and i forget 99% of the time to go back and fix the mistake. sorry for the misspelling, and i'll try not to let it happen again. -writes a note and sticks it to the computer monitor- read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	49. January 1865: Snowdrift

_Dan_

Things had quieted down immensely at the camp. There hadn't been much action at all for several months, and many of the solders were beginning to wonder if this siege was coming to an end. There were a couple of battles here and there, but nothing major, which only continued to fuel these hopes of escaping the flames of battle, and I didn't blame them for clinging onto these hopes.

I, just like countless others, wanted to get far away from the battles of the war and take a much needed break, but I couldn't. I had made a promise to myself that I would see the end of this fight, and war, so I could speed up Shun's release from the prison that he had been taken to, for I knew that once this war ended, he and countless other soldiers would be freed and return home.

_Home…. _The word felt so alien to me now. I knew where my actual, physical home was, but I had heard people say that home was where the heart is. If that was the case, then where was my heart? Did it reside within the confines of the army camps and battlefield now?

It felt like it did, for those places were where I had been for countless days, and it was starting to feel like all there was for me in the world. That was another reason I wanted this war to hurry up and end; I could feel it slowly starting to take away what I knew of the outside world.

I sighed and tilted my head back to look up to the sky. Reds and oranges filled the sky as the sun set behind the horizon, taking with it another uneventful day. A small group of soldiers came walking into the camp, looking exhausted to the point of collapse, and I figured that they were part of the small group of soldiers that Grant had sent out to fight in a battle a month or so ago.

The tired soldiers instantly headed towards where there was food and water, and I knew that they would retreat to their tents after that. They were proof of how ragged our army had become since the start of this siege. Whether we all showed it or not, didn't matter, for we all felt just like those soldiers that had just returned.

As I watched them lumber throughout the camp, I saw one fall to the ground, his comrades running to his aid. From there, they carried him off towards the infirmary tents to be treated for whatever was ailing him. Another sigh escaped my lips, and I watched as my breath turned into a wispy cloud, thanks to the cold weather.

My hands were cold, despite the fact that I had them tucked away in the pockets of my pants. I had been in this kind of weather for all of my life up in New York, and it hardly ever bothered me. But after several years of being stationed in the South, I had become accustomed to the warmer climate.

Now, the cold air of the Northern state of Virginia was too much for me to handle, and it caused me to tremble as the freezing temperature cut through my wool jacket. It might have helped if I had gone and sat in front of one of the many campfires, but every last one of them had soldiers huddled around them in order to keep warm, and I had no desire to sit next to the empty products of the war.

It was bad enough that I could feel myself becoming one of them, with their listless gazes and expressionless faces that had been tarnished with the months of fighting a never-ending battle. They were drained of all of their vibrancy, hollow shells of whoever they used to be before they entered the war.

It still pained me to know that eventually, I might end up just like them. I had wanted to be in this war, but I had been naïve at the time. If I had known what kind of pain and suffering I would have to endure and watch, I would have never wanted to be a part of such atrocities.

But pride and exuberance had gotten the best of me at the time, and the want to put the uprising in the South had pushed me to join in the bloody fight. Now that I had looked back on it, I understood why they said pride was a killer; look at what mess it had gotten me into.

That pride was gone now, for there was nothing to be proud of anymore. None of what we had done since the start of the war, was worth being proud about. All it had been was mindless fighting that resulted in us killing our fellow man that we once stood hand-in-hand with.

I glanced up and saw a tiny white speck float down into my field of vision. The speck landed on the back of my hand and melted from my body heat. It was snow. I looked up and saw more of the specks drift down to the Earth in a light flurry. It had been quite some time since I had seen snow; since I left New York, most likely.

I held my hand out, catching several of the snowflakes. They all melted in my hand and turned into tiny water droplets. I wiped the water away on my pants leg. Around me, the ground was turning white as the snow accumulated, and I knew my morning, this whole place would be turned a white with a blanket of snow.

I began to think back on the days when I was younger, a time when the thought of a Civil War was as ludicrous as thinking that the sky could turn green, and would play in the snow outside of my house for hours. I smiled when I thought back to all of the snow days that I would be outside, and Shun would refuse to even step out into it unless he was forced.

It had always been fun to ambush him and pelt him with snow, even if he did get furious. _It was so worth it, _I thought to myself with a faint smile. The snow that had been falling, was already starting to form into small mounds. I reached over to one and scooped up a handful of snow, then carefully packed it into a ball.

I then tossed it at the trunk of a tree and watched it explode upon impact. Around the camp, soldiers that had been gathered around campfires began to retreat to their tents to escape the falling snow. Soon, I was the only one left standing outside in the light flurry.

I tilted my head back and looked up to the sky that had been orange one minute, and was now pitch black with a mixture of night and snow-filled clouds. I found it ironic that something so white and pure, only fell when the world was at its darkest.

I closed my eyes and turned to look out in the direction of our momentarily abandoned battlefield, and knew that it wouldn't be much longer before the world was filled with the booming sounds of war once again, for peace never lasted forever.

_Alice_

A snowstorm had snuck in on the town during the night. Now, the streets were shutdown and filled with mountains of snow. Hardly any people were out an about; most were huddled up in their homes to escape the cold. But not me.

Snow was a rare site for me, and I wanted to enjoy the cold, frozen substance. I was bundled up in shawls and coats as I walked outside. My nose was already numb from the freezing temperatures, and as I breathed through my mouth, my breath came out as little cloudy wisps.

This wasn't my first time seeing snow; occasionally snow would find its way to my old home, but it never really amounted to anything. I knelt down picked up a handful of snow, allowing its coldness to numb my hand to the point that it became uncomfortable.

Behind me, I heard the lighthearted giggles of children and turned to a small group of kids playing out in the snow. They dropped back into mounds of snow, making snow-angels without a care in the world. I smiled at the site, glad to see that the weight of the war wasn't on everyone's shoulders.

The kids, suddenly distracted by something out in the distance, left behind their snow-angels and ran off to whatever was more interesting. I giggled at their innocence, and wished that the world was as kind and gentle as that of a child again.

I wished it to be a place of peace and kindness like it had been long before the war. But as depressing as it was, I had a feeling that it would never return to such a state. I feared that the world would remain hostile towards its own brethren for many more years after all was said and done.

I sighed, finding that my joy and elation over the snow had faded over the thoughts of reality. I tugged on my shawls and tightened them around my collarbone to retain some of my bodily warmth, then began to head back towards my current location of residency.

The cold air and snow, which had been filled with a sense of release from the harsh realities, had turned into something that I couldn't enjoy anymore. Now, the freezing air stabbed harshly at my arms and face, and I wondered how something so nice could have turned so vicious with only a couple of thoughts.

It was kind of like the war; a couple of thoughts turned peace into mindless killing over a lost cause. I finally arrived back at where I was staying; the local inn. Inside, it was warm and inviting, unlike the cold and harsh air outside. The lady-innkeeper was sweeping the floors, while humming a tune as she worked.

She caught a glimpse of me as I headed upstairs, then nodded as an acknowledgement. I nodded back out of common courtesy and retreated to my room. Everything was exactly how I left it, which wasn't a big surprise. I began to pull off my many layers of clothing until I was left in nothing but a dress that I had bought in town a little while back.

From there, I plopped down on my bed and let out a heavy sigh. I hadn't felt drained like this since before I left my hometown. This time I had spent up North had done me some good concerning my need to get away from the prejudices of the South and allowed me to unwind a bit.

But I could feel the harsh realities returning to me once again, and I didn't like it. I wanted to escape it all, but I knew I couldn't. Not until the war was over, at least. And even then, I wasn't sure if I really ever would be free.

* * *

yay for filler chapters. they can be lifesavers when you need to put some space in between major events in a story. also, i'm freaking out over Black Veil Bride's new album. I LOVE IT! they kind of have a different sound than their previous music, but i like it a lot more than their old sound. don't get me wrong, i like all of their music. also, i'm seriously considering writing an actual story! o.o crazy, i know. and i will do it as long as there's no legal issues involved, because it's kinda based off an album. it's only using the song titles and album title, which i see no problem in, but you know how people can be. :/ the storyline and characters are all mine, duh. still, research needs to be done. and if i can't make it into an actual book, then i will write it here on fanfiction, for i refuse to let such a meaningful story to me go to waste. wish me all the luck in the world, for i might be entering into the big world of legit writers. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	50. February 1865: Lost Innocence

_Dan_

My prediction about the peace that had come over the camp being short-lived, was more than accurate. At the very beginning of February, one of the smaller Cavalry divisions set out to cut off some Confederate supply trains in an attempt to help cripple the Rebel's surplus.

I wasn't very concerned with their actions, for I was to take no part in this fight; this Cavalry division belonged to another General entirely, and unless it was ordered by Grant, I would play no part in their fight. So, to pass the time until the Cavalry returned with news of either victory or defeat, I decided it would do me some good to walk around the camp.

It was still rather quiet, despite the sounds of war raging out in the distance. Soldiers sat around the camp, wrapped up in their wool uniform jackets and clinging to campfires and sunlight to escape the chilling temperatures of the North. Snow still blanketed nearly every square inch of the camp, and in some cases, tents had collapsed beneath the weight of the snow.

I passed by several soldiers that were attempting to put their tents back up so they would have shelter for the day and later on in the night. I would have offered them my help, but it appeared that they had the situation under control, so I kept on my way. Being out of action from the war for the past several months, was finally starting to get to me.

I wanted nothing more than to hurry up and get back into the fight so I could help hurry up the defeat of the Confederacy, and ultimately free the Union Prisoners of War. But things had died down on both of the warring sides, mainly because of shortening supplies of ammo and food; we had to conserve every last item.

We couldn't afford to waste anything out in the battlefield over mindless fighting. The supplies would have to be used only when necessary now. I sighed and watched my breath come out as a white cloud and slowly dissipate into nothing.

My thoughts were then adverted somewhere else when I heard a soldier swearing under his breath. I turned and saw that it was Mathis. The conniving soldier was struggling to get a tent back up with one arm; the other was bandaged up from where he apparently sustained an injury during a recent battle.

I stood there for a moment, watching him constantly drop the tent rods and curse into the air, then sighed and approached him. "Hey, need some help?" I asked casually. If Shun were here to see me helping this snake, he would have most certainly given me a curt look and probably snapped at me later on.

I wouldn't have blamed Shun for his probable actions though; I wasn't too fond of this guy either. But Shun held a very special hatred for Mathis all because he, Jones, and some other soldiers tried to harm Alice. They might have gotten away with it as well if Shun hadn't stepped in when he had and ordered me to get Alice to safety.

Mathis growled at the tent rods and said in defeat, "Yes, please. I've been at this for a while now." I bent down and picked up the rods and began to thread them through the tent like I had been taught to back at training camp. Within a matter of minutes, the tent was back up as it had been before the weight of snow tore it down.

Mathis heaved a heavy sigh and told me, "Thanks. I don't know if I would have ever finished getting that blasted thing up. Can you believe that they really expected me, who is crippled at the moment, to put up a tent? Outrageous, I know." I didn't say anything at first, but allowed my eyes to fall on his injured arm that was resting in a sling. "So, what happened to you?" I asked inquisitively so I could get him to stop complaining about the tent.

Mathis glanced down at his arm and let out a humorless laugh. "Cavalryman came at me and nearly cut my arm off with his saber. Luckily for me, I feel back when I saw him and he only left a slight gash….Hey, I heard you were hurt a little while back as well," he said with some slight interest.

I nodded and placed my hand on my side where I had been shot. "Yeah. I was shot off of my horse during a battle a couple months back. The wound has finally healed up though, and now I'm just waiting for another battle for me to jump into," I said stoically. Mathis nodded, and a silence fell over us. I was about to leave and resume my walk, but Mathis stopped me.

He asked me, "Your friend, the one with black hair that stood up for that girl that night, what happened to him again? I've seemed to have forgotten what you told me, so I've asked around camp and nobody seems to have a clue as to who I'm talking about. I'm sure you don't mind refreshing my memory."

I felt a knot form in my stomach. What was I supposed to tell this guy? I didn't know whether Shun was alive or not; I was mainly clinging to a sliver of hope that he was. Sighing, I gave Mathis as honest an answer as I could give him. "He was either killed or taken prisoner some time ago…I don't know which."

Mathis' expression appeared rather surprised at this news. "Ah, I see. I remember now. Well, thanks for the help. I appreciate it," he said to me and turned on his heel to walk away. I stood there for a moment longer, pondering over Shun's current condition now that I had been confronted with a question about it.

Did I really believe that my friend was still alive, or was it all just me not wanting to admit that he was most likely dead? I didn't want to think that Shun really was dead, for that would mean giving up my hope. But the more that I heard of the atrocious acts that took place in the Prison Camps for the Union soldiers, the more likely the scenario seemed to become.

I had heard talk around the camp that the prisoners were hardly ever fed, and if they were, they were given measly portions of spoiled food that would make them sick. Images of Shun in the situation made me sick to my stomach.

To think that a person could really treat another human so cruelly filled me with disgust, and even more so to think that it was Shun that they might be treating like a worthless animal. I sighed, knowing that if given the chance I would have given anything to know whether or not my old childhood friend was alive.

_Dan_

A celebration was taking place in the camp. Word reached us that the Cavalry unit that had been sent off a couple of days ago, had been rather successful on their mission. On top of cutting off the Confederate supply lines, they also pushed our apposing forces back quite a bit, allowing us to regain much of the ground that we had lost to Lee.

So, to make the celebration official, a couple of soldiers were able to scrounge up drinks from a nearby town. There was just enough for everyone to have a bit, but some were greedier than others; mainly the die-hard alcoholics that hadn't seen a drop of drink in months.

I stayed away from the festivities though, and found it rather ironic how I was distancing myself from my fellow soldiers. _That was Shun's thing, not mine. _That realization brought a sad smile to my face. Perhaps I was turning into a slight shadow of my old friend, as scary as that may be.

But I knew why; I was growing up way before my time. The soldiers that were partying their hearts away, were how I should have been too, but the harsh realities of war had taken that reckless youth away from me at long last. It had turned me into an adult, rather than allowing me to stay as I used to be.

I knew that something like this would have happened to me soon enough, but I had never imagined it happening through a war. I always pictured it happening after I found somebody that I wanted to spend my life with and settled down, but never ever like this.

_Nobody should ever have to grow up like this, _I thought sadly to myself. I had been ignorant at the start, wanting nothing more than to fight and try to be a hero for the Union. But after losing so many friends to this, I didn't want it anymore. I had seen the errors in my ignorance a bit too late.

I sighed and cast my eyes down at the snowy ground. Footprints from where soldiers walked through awhile ago were starting to get covered up by newly-fallen snow, to vanish forevermore like the innocence of the soldiers in this new world that we had all been thrown into unknowingly.

_Shun_

I tugged on the horse's reigns, pulling the beast to a stop. It stomped its hooves in protest for a bit, then remained still when it realized that there was no need for such behavior. I was somewhere in a forest, but I knew there was a town nearby, for I could see the flames of oil lamps out in the distance and through the trees.

But I had no desire to continue to travel at the moment. I had been moving constantly for several months, searching for where my old comrades were at so I could rejoin their ranks. Although, I had run into several problems along the way. The map that I had been given was a bit different from the current landscape.

It was drawn before the war, and now, the earth and land was shape different after mortars and bullets tore everything apart. Trees that once stood high and mighty, were now shattered at the trunk and fallen, taking away many of the landmarks that people used to rely on to find their ways back home.

I sighed and slid off of the horse's saddle, then tied him off to a tree limb. No longer wishing to even stand, I sat down on the ground and looked over the map, since I had nothing better to do. I examined it a bit more closely, looking for anything and everything that could possibly help me figure out where I was at.

But it was difficult to figure anything out at night with only the moon for a light source. On top of that, much of the forests were barren now that winter had a full grip on nature. Feeling tired and defeated, I folded the map and tucked it away in my bag.

While I was in the bag, I pulled out an old blanket that I had picked up sometime ago, and laid on the ground, tossing the blanket over my body so I wouldn't freeze during the night. Thankfully, the area that I was in hadn't seen much snowfall yet, so the ground was fairly dry.

I laid there on the ground, staring up at the night sky and at all of the stars that littered the black backdrop. Over to the side was the moon, half full as it slowly waned away. The horse that I bought off of a stranger, let out a whinny, which startled a few animals that were hunkered down up in the tree limbs above.

As I laid there, I began to wonder if I would ever find my way back to Grant's army. _I won't ever if I keep getting lost. _I knew by this time in the morning I would no longer be confused on my location because I was planning on going to the nearby town and asking for directions that would get me back on the right path.

I closed my eyes, allowing my mind and body to rest and free itself from the worries and stress that were consuming me, then dozed off right there on the ground.

* * *

omg, it actually snowed yesterday! (don't hate on me because i'm excited about snow, i am from the South and we don't get a lot down here). sadly, it wasnt enough for me to get out of school. -.-'' darn. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	51. March 1865: Near Defeat At Fort Stedman

_Lee_

I walked around my camp, examining my exhausted men. Despite that fact that my army was extremely weakened from a mixture of desertion, disease, and a shortage of supplies, we continued to bravely defend our position. But I knew things were about to only get more difficult. Grant had been on a slight hot-streak lately, winning several of our last altercations.

And they would only get worse, for General Early up in Shenandoah Valley had lost his battle against Sheridan, and those soldiers would surely join Grant's army as soon as possible. On top of that, there was the merciless General Sherman that just finished up his march through the Atlanta Campaign and was slowly making his way up North to help out Grant.

If those two commanders combined with Grant's remaining forces, then there was no way that my weakened army would last here at Petersburg much longer. I growled with aggravation. Somehow, I had to keep my army from being outnumbered four-to-one. If I was unable to do that, then it would be just like me handing over the victory to Grant personally, and I wasn't about to have that.

Realizing that I needed some advice to council me through this before I made any brash decisions that could very well be the end in me, I went to reside my confidence in Major General John B. Gordon. I stepped into his tent, finding that he was going over previous battle plans.

"Gordon," I said sternly, "I require your advice." The Major glanced up at me and folded the battle plans up and put them away. "Yes, General Lee?" The Major turned in his seat to face me for our conversation. I sighed, hating that it had come to such a desperate situation that I had to ask one of my subordinates on what move I should make next.

I said to him, "As you probably know, Grant's numbers are only about to increase with the addition of Sheridan's and Sherman's men. If we don't do something soon, then Petersburg will surely fall soon. I've come to you to ask on what you think we should do."

Gordon stroked his graying beard as he thought over my question. He remained silent for a moment before finally speaking. "I believe we have three choices, none of which you may like, sir." I narrowed my eyes at the Major and told him, "Well? Tell them to me. I'm desperate for answers, Gordon. Can you not tell?"

The Major held his hand up in defense and told me, "Rest assured, General, I can see quite clearly that you are in desperate need of tactical advice, and I do not blame you for wanting to enter into future battles with rational plans. Grant isn't somebody that you can attack head-on. You have to have at least some kind of plan, and even then that might not be enough. So, rest assured in me, sir."

I crossed my arms over my chest, knowing that the Major's words rang true. Grant wasn't a mediocre General; he was perhaps my greatest adversary of all time. "I apologize for my behavior, Major," I stated, "but I am under a lot of stress. My men can't last much longer. We need to hurry up and put an end to this never-ending siege."

Gordon nodded in agreement then said calmly, "I believe your only choices are to either offer a peace treaty with Grant, which I know that you would never do that in your lifetime, sir. Or you can abandon Richmond and Petersburg and join Joseph Johnston's army in North Carolina and cut off Sherman before he reaches Grant's army, then go back and fight Grant. Or, we can continue to fight in our current condition and pray for the best. It is all up to you, General."

I stood there and thought over my three choices. Gordon was right about me not wanting to offer a peace treaty; I was too stubborn to stoop to something so low, even if it meant putting and end to this madness. As for the second choice, it seemed to be just a bit too complicated and too much trouble to try and do such a thing.

If we did abandon Petersburg and Richmond, then Grant would take over the Confederate capital and most likely plant his feet firmly there. If that was the case, then we'd never regain Richmond. Besides, I wasn't sure if my men could handle such a stressful plan.

Gordon stood up from his chair and said to me, "Think those three choices over carefully, sir. For they will determine the outcome of this war." I nodded and left out of the Major's tent, carefully considering each option and trying my best to use my foresight to know which would be the most beneficial for my army.

After several hours of thinking, I finally came to a conclusion and summoned Gordon to my tent. He stepped in calmly, knowing that I was about to give him my verdict on his suggestions. Sighing deeply, I told him, "There is only one choice for us. It is to fight. If we stand here, then it was ultimately mean death for all of us….It could only be death if when we fought, we failed."

Gordon gave me a single nod and said to me, "I understand, sir. I will get to work right away on our next move. Have no fears. I won't let you down, General." He then turned on his heels and left my tent. I knew Gordon would come up with a plan that could possibly get us out of our current predicament.

_Lee_

Weeks past before Gordon approached me to present his plan. He had come up with a plan to execute a surprise attack on the Union lines that would give them no choice but to withdraw back some and halt Grant's plans to assault our lines further.

The attack would take place at a Confederate stronghold known as Colquitt's Salient before dawn, and would be launched against Fort Stedman, one of the many fortifications that encircled Petersburg. It was the closest fort to our lines, and also had the weakest defense around it, making it an easy and desirable target.

On top of that, their was a supply depot about a mile behind the fort. As I continued to read through Gordon's plans, they planned to move north and south along the Union's lines to clear neighboring forts and open a route for an attack right into the heart of the Union, after capturing Fort Stedman, of course.

If they couldn't do that, then there was no point in them even trying. I said to Gordon, "I have faith in you, Gordon, that you can bring us victory. Go forth and put your plan into action." Gordon nodded, took his plans, and set out to gather the men that he would take with him to battle in a couple of days. I stood there in my tent, praying that luck would be on our side, for we were on the last leg of our fight.

_Fort Stedman_

Major General Gordon had his men marching towards their goal; Fort Stedman. He had with him nearly half of Lee's infantry, which he figured would be more than plenty to take down this fort. Early morning, way before dawn, Gordon had his men ready to strike. The sun was nowhere to be seen, and the cool air nipped at the faces of the soldiers, but they didn't mind.

When they were in battle-mode, nothing else mattered except fighting the enemy and staying alive. Gordon gave them the signal and lead parties that consisted of sharpshooters and engineers headed into the future battlefield. Their goal was to clear out any obstacles that would slow down the advance of the Confederate lines. They carried with them unloaded muskets so nobody would be tempted to fire and alert the sleeping soldiers inside.

Bayonets were fixed on the ends of the guns and they ran through to the guards, stabbing them and silencing them before they had a chance to alert the soldiers inside. But somebody inside of the fort heard the commotion. It was Brevet Brigade General Napoleon B. McLaughlen.

He was the officer in charge and responsible for the sector of Fort Stedman. Hearing the sounds of an attack taking place outside, he quickly dressed himself and snuck out of the fort, riding his horse to a neighboring fort; Fort Haskell. There, he woke the soldiers inside and warned them of what was happening.

The soldiers quickly responded and took their positions, readying themselves for the coming assault. This was the one weak line in the fortifications, and it needed to be reinforced, just in case the Confederates somehow knew of this weak point.

When he was sure that Fort Haskell could hold its own against an attack, McLaughlen hurried back to Fort Stedman. As he approached the fort, he saw figures moving around behind the pickets, and through the darkness, he assumed that they were his own men.

He rode up to them, commanding them to get into certain battle positions and to follow his orders, which they did without so much as a sliver of defiance, just as good soldiers should. But as the sky started to light up with dawn, McLaughlin was surprised by what he was able to see.

The soldiers that he had been commanding, were wearing the gray uniforms of the Confederacy. His eyes widened, seeing that he was now commanding and standing behind hundreds of Rebel soldiers. The soldiers suddenly turned around, and recognized the blue and gold uniform of a Union officer.

They realized that they had been following the wrong orders, and quickly ganged up on McLaughlen. "Take him to Major Gordon," one soldier demanded. McLaughlen, for the first time since the war, felt fearful for his life. He had stared death in the face many times before this, but he knew this time that he might truly die.

He had no idea what this Major would do to him, and he had no desire to know. The soldiers drug McLaughlen back to their commander, who was surprised to see that they had captured the Brigade General. The soldiers pushed McLaughlen to the ground, and Gordon knelt down before the fallen officer.

"Well, isn't this a surprise," the Confederate officer said calmly. McLaughlen, nearly trembling with fear, asked, "What are you planning on doing with me? Killing me? Sending me to one of those hellholes you call Prison Camps? Tell me!"

Gordon extended his hand down to McLaughlen and said to him, "I only ask that you surrender your officer's sword." McLaughlen's eyes widened. He wanted the sword, similar to a Cavalry saber but more ornate, to be handed over to this Confederate scum.

It was humiliating because he knew that the sword would be used as a trophy, and everyone would know how McLaughlen caved in before his persecutor. But what other choice did he have? This man wanted just the sword, not the officer's life.

Perhaps he should have considered himself lucky. Reluctantly, McLaughlen told Gordon, "Fine, take the damn thing." Gordon shook his head and said to him, "No. I want you to _personally _hand me that sword." The humiliation only continued to mount with those words.

Handing over the sword personally would be like admitting that the Confederacy had won this battle before it ever really started. McLaughlen turned his head away and said with spite, "Fine." He reached down, unhooked the sword, and handed it over to Gordon, who took the ornate sword from the Union Brigade General.

"Ah, too easy," he stated as he examined to fine craftsmanship that only could belong to the Union. Gordon told the soldiers that brought McLaughlen to him, "Make our guest feel at home, but make sure he doesn't try to run." They nodded and took hold of McLaughlen, who no longer had any fight left in him.

He had suffered the most humiliating defeat possible for somebody of his standing. The two soldiers tied him off to a horse post so he wouldn't run off. The Brigade General looked up to the brightening sky and said under his breath, "I'm sorry, General Grant. I've failed you and your army."

Gordon, a smile on his on his face at how he humiliated the Union officer, set out for Fort Stedman. When he arrived there, he saw that his plan was going better than he could have ever expected it to. Minutes after his arrival, Fort Stedman fell into Confederate hands. Now, a gap nearly 1,000 feet in length was left in the Union lines, a door welcoming future attacks into the heart of their enemy's stronghold.

Gordon sent in his Confederate artillerists, led by Lieutenant Colonel Robert. M. Stribling. They took over the guns in Fort Stedman, then readied themselves for what was to come next; they were to use the Union's own weapons against them. They began firing heavily out into the Union entrenchments to the north and south.

The Northern line proved the be rather difficult, for the Union soldiers there had formed into battle lines, which confused the Confederate troops due to the maze of trenches. Ignoring this, Gordon ordered that the southern lines be the main concern. This included Fort Haskell.

Gordon sent in his division, led by Clement Evans to go and take out the fort, but the defenders in Fort Haskell refused to fall so easily like Fort Stedman. They launched canister rounds from cannons, successfully defending their fort. But Gordon wasn't going to take this.

He sent orders in to the soldiers he had stationed still at Colquitt's Salient, and they began to bomb the fort and Federal artillery with cannonballs and mortars. The artillery slammed into the walls of the fort, and one actually struck the Union flag that flew high and proud above, knocking it down.

Out in the distance, Union gunners saw this happen and assumed that Fort Haskell had fallen into Confederate hands like Fort Stedman. So, they began to fire upon their own men, not knowing that they still had control over the fort. Mass chaos was ensuing out in the battlefield with the Union being attacked by themselves and the Confederacy.

Inside Fort Haskell, they realized that their own side was firing at them because of the fallen flag. Quickly, they rounded up some volunteers to put their own lives on the line to raise the flag. They finally got it up, and four were shot in the process, but the firing from their own side quickly ceased when they saw the flag flying high once again, its ends tattered and torn.

Now, things were back to a bit more organized state, even though the Confederates weren't letting up the least bit. Gordon, standing in the center of Fort Stedman, sent a message to Lee, explaining how well things were going. He handed the letter to a soldier, who ran back to where Lee was stationed on the other side of the battlefield.

But what Gordon didn't know was that impending trouble was upon him. Outside in the battlefield, the three, 100-man detachments were out wandering in confusion, and many had also stopped in one of the fallen Federal artillery stations and were eating their fill of Union rations to quell their hunger.

On top of that, the Cavalry could not find an avenue that was safe enough to travel through, and some divisions had issues with arriving to the battle, missing it entirely. Back on the Union side, a man by the name of John G. Parke quickly received the news of what was happening at Fort Stedman and Haskell.

At the time, both General Grant and Meade were out at City Point and absent from the battle, and Parke quickly realized that he was the one who was in charge at the moment. Nerves began to set in; he wasn't sure if he could handle this. He had led battles before, but not the entire Union army.

He shook away his fears, knowing that if he didn't do something, then hundreds of thousands of Union soldiers' lives would be lost by the hands of the Confederacy. Parke ran out to find the first man that came to his mind; John F. Hartranft. Hartranft was surprised when Parke came running up to him, eyes wide and sweat pouring down his forehead.

"Parke? What's the rush?" Hartranft asked. Parke composed himself and said sternly, "You need to gather up your reserve division and hurry out to Fort Stedman. It's been captured by Confederate soldiers in a surprise attack." Hartranft knew the reason for Parke's nervous behavior now.

He saluted Parke, knowing that he was the one in charge at the moment, then ran off. Hartranft also recruited the help of John C. Tidball, who was in charge of the reserve artillery. The two gathered up their soldiers as quickly as possible and hurried out to help the fallen fort.

Upon arrival, Tidball took control over one of the artillery batteries to the East of the forts and began shelling the Confederates. This caused panic to sweep over the Rebel forces. Hartranft ordered his own men to start pushing the Confederates back, which he had to work hard at, but his determination never wavered.

He was going to win back this fort at all costs, for if the Confederates won here, they would be able to gain access into the heart of the Union army and destroy it from the inside out. The Union artillery, which had been focused on firing at the soldiers themselves, saw that Hartranft had come to the aid, along with Tidball.

So, they focused their fire on their own Fort Stedman that was under Confederate control. The attacks were punishing to the fort, but if they had to tear it down to win, then so be it. They had to defend their lines at whatever cost. Inside Fort Stedman, Gordon felt the walls and ground shake as his newly acquired fortress was bombarded on.

He quickly began to see that his plan was falling apart at the seems, especially when some of his own men came running to him talking about how they were fighting against strong Union resistance. Lee, who had joined Gordon in the fort before the heavy shelling began, also saw that the plan was failing.

Gordon ran up to Lee and said desperately, "We have to get out of here, sir! The plan has failed and we have to get the men to safety!" Lee agreed and gave permission to have Gordon withdraw and leave the fort and plan behind. As they began to flee the fort, Hartranft was standing outside, his 4,000 soldiers positioned in a semi-circle, ready to attack.

But a message from Parke told Hartranft to halt his attack, but he wanted to do no such thing. He knew that he could take out twice as many Confederates if they attacked while they were on the run. So, Hartranft ordered his men to charge, sending his men after the fleeing Rebels.

The Confederates were caught up in the crossfire and received heavy casualties from Hartranft's merciless attack. He knew he would have to face the consequences for his actions, but Hartranft thought that taking out more of the Confederate's men was more important than allowing them to flee and lick their wounds.

Behind Hartranft, he saw the Union flag being raised over Fort Stedman as they reclaimed their fallen fort. Craters littered the fort's walls, telling the story about how the Union almost lost the war in less than four hours. Back in the Union camp, Tidball, Hartranft, and Parke were being celebrated for their quick thinking and heroic actions that may have saved the Union from a horrible defeat.

On the Confederate side, Gordon was speaking to Lee, apologizing for their humiliating defeat. Lee, who would have normally been furious over the loss, calmly told Gordon that there wasn't much else they could have done there.

He said, "We put a minor dent into their numbers, even though we didn't even touch their lines. That's enough for me."

Gordon was surprised to see his General so calm, but he soon realized that Lee knew how badly his men were on the ropes, and the defeat was more probably than victory now. _I fear we may have lost this war, _Gordon thought sadly to himself.

* * *

next chapter (or two if i do a two-part thing) will be it. it will be the final battle of the war for the most part. it's been a long a tedious road, but i'm finally there. phew. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	52. April 1865: The Lost Soul At Appomattox

_Lee_

Petersburg had fallen shortly after the defeat at Fort Stedman. From the reports I had received, Sheridan and his Cavalry arrived at the last minute and turned my right flanks back, cutting my supply lines. After that, my men had gone and abandoned the trenches that we so desperately clung on to for ten straight months through horrible weather conditions and dwindling supplies.

But I wasn't about to give up. I knew my men were starving and tired, but I refused to go down so easily. My goal now was to head towards Amelia Courthouse and meet up with General Joseph E. Johnston's army, then go on the offensive after setting up lines along a nearby river.

I sighed as we trudged along the worn down dirt roads, men and even the horses looking like they would collapse at any moment. But we couldn't stop. I knew Grant would catch up to us soon. I at least wanted to get to Amelia Courthouse and plant my feet firmly there to give us a chance to hold our own against the next onslaught of attacks from Grant.

The sky was clouded over slightly, hiding the sun and appearing as if rain would be promised soon. I popped the reigns on my horse, making the animal pick up its pace a bit so we could hurry and get to Amelia sooner. We were nearing up on our destination; it was only a few more miles, and then we would meet up with Johnston's army.

I still hated that we had to abandon both Petersburg and the capital of Richmond, but we were in a desperate situation. Although, I knew Grant wasn't really concerned with Richmond at the moment. He would be more focused on making me give in; that was just how he was.

At long last, we arrived at Amelia Courthouse, but I was shocked to find that no provisions were there. The place was empty, lacking in supplies and reinforcements. "What!" I shouted. "Where is Johnston!" I never did find out where they were at. Perhaps we showed up later than expected, or they were running behind on schedule.

Or Johnston could have been stopped by the Union army. I would never know. My men, exhausted and starving, had looks of disappointment on their faces when they realized that there was no food waiting on them. Several of the soldiers were overcome with rage and began to lash out at their fellow men around them.

I jumped off of my horse and shouted, "Get a hold of yourselves!" The yelling ceased and silence fell over Amelia Courthouse. I cleared my throat and said to the quarreling men, "Now, go and get a wagon and forage around in the forest. I'm sure you can all find something to eat, even if it's not much."

The soldiers knew I was right and that foraging was all they could do if they wanted some kind of substance in their empty stomachs. They set off into the surrounding forest, heads hung low as they searched for anything to eat. I growled and said under my breath, "We're going to lose a day's worth of marching time because of this."

That night as we rested in Amelia, I silently read over my memoirs, reliving all of the things I had written down from the start of the war. I found that even I had changed somewhat. At the start, I had been proud and arrogant, and now, I had been reduced to a beaten and cornered General with no other choices.

I sighed and tucked away the memoirs. In front of me, I realized that Major General John B. Gordon was standing there. The poor Major had yet to forgive himself for the humiliating defeat at Fort Stedman, no matter how many times I told him that the results were out of his control.

"Sir, what are you planning on doing after we leave Amelia?" he asked in a tired voice. He, like the rest of the army, had been run down to the end of his limit with all of the fights between us and Grant. I stood up from where I had been sitting on the ground and told him, "I know of another supply train that should be stopping in Appomattox Station soon. We should probably head there as soon as possible and restock on ammo and rations before anything else is done."

Gordon nodded and told me, "I'll inform the troops of your plans, sir." The Major turned on his heels and left to go do as he said he would. I ran a hand through my thinning, hair that had begun to gray from all the stress that the war had placed on me.

I titled my head back and looked up at the pitch black sky that didn't have a star in sight, thanks to the clouds that masked everything. "I would be happy for it to hurry up and end, but not under these conditions….I don't want to lose in such a pathetic condition like this," I said to myself.

_Klaus_

"I should just desert the army now," I said to Jones, who was sitting next to me and eating a piece of apple that he had scrounged up while Lee sent us out to find our own food. He cut off another piece with the blade of his knife and popped it into his mouth, not replying to my statement of possible desertion.

"I mean, I took care of that blasted Yankee by sending him to the Prison Camps, so why am I still here? That was the only reason that I joined this damn war in the first place," I continued and locked my fingers together behind my head. It was ridiculous that I had stayed in the Confederate army so long after I sent Shun away to be taken as a Prisoner of War.

Even though I had wanted to kill him by hand, I was sure that he had suffered a slow and painful death by the hands of the Prison, which was more than satisfying for me. The only thing that could have made it better was if I had been able to watch him suffer.

Then, if that was the case, what was keeping me in this army? We were out in the open, and I could have waltzed out of there without so much as being noticed. I could have returned back home and been in the comforts of my old Antebellum home, having whoever was left of my servants cook me up a decent meal, which I hadn't seen in quite some time.

"Then leave. Ain't no skin off my back," Jones said in between bites of apple. The ex-Union soldier and I had teamed up when we captured Shun, mainly out of a common hatred towards him. Although the reasons for our hatred were entirely different, it didn't really matter much to me.

All that did matter now, was that Shun was no longer a thorn in my side. I crossed my legs at the knees at laid back on the cool, grassy ground, staring up at the clouded night sky. "You know, I think this war is about to end soon. Perhaps I'll stay just to see how it all comes to a an end," I said to Jones with a grin.

It had been fun, I had to admit. Seeing almost all of the countryside had been very interesting, despite the fact that we were only seeing these places so we could fight and kill our enemies. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed somebody walking up towards us. I quickly sat up and saw that it was Major Gordon.

I saw that the dark circles under his eyes appeared to have gotten more profound since Fort Stedman, which didn't surprise me; we had been moving nearly nonstop since we retreated from Petersburg.

Gordon said to Jones and I, "General Grant wanted to make sure that everyone knew we are planning on moving West tomorrow, first thing in the morning. So, be ready when the bugle sounds." Jones and I both saluted the Major and watched him walk off to go and inform other soldiers of tomorrow's agenda.

_Dan_

Sheridan stood before us, sitting proudly upon his Cavalry horse. The entire Cavalry had gathered on horseback because we heard that there was an important announcement that concerned us, and that Sheridan would be the one telling it to us. The commander examined all of us with narrowed eyes before he spoke.

"It appears that everyone is here," he started, "so I will go ahead and get this meeting started. Grant has ordered us to go and attack the retreating Confederate army. There numbers have severely decreased, the army now making up no more than a Cavalry unit and a couple of infantry divisions.

This should be an easy task for us." I could see why Grant wanted Sheridan to lead this attack. Back when we finally took Petersburg, Sheridan had showed up just in time and made a decisive turn in the battle for us, and perhaps even helping us speed up our victory there.

So, if anyone could lead a Cavalry-based operation at this point in the war, it was Sheridan. The commander then said, "There is also word that Lee is heading towards Appomattox Station to get to a supply train. Our other goal is to delay the Confederates and reach the Station before they can. Understood?"

We all gave Sheridan a salute to let him know that we understood the plan. He nodded and tugged on his horse's reigns, turning the animal around, and said to us, "Alright, then. Let's move out." He dug his heels into the horse's sides and rode off into a full gallop. We did the same thing and chased after him.

I knew for a fact that we weren't too far off from the Confederates, but I didn't know exactly how far. After riding for about half an hour, I saw the outlines of Confederate soldiers marching along up ahead. Sheridan gave us a signal and we charged at the retreating army, just as we had been told to.

We cut off one-fourth of the Confederate line from the rest of the army, isolating them and surrounding them. Unprepared for our assault, they struggled to get their weapons loaded in time before we rode in a cut them down with our Calvary sabers.

Behind us, the rest of the enemy line realized what was going on, then tried their best to fight back and save their trapped comrades. Sheridan shouted an order for a portion of our division to fight the new onslaught of attacks. The small division that held off the soldiers that were trying to save their surrounded friends, pushed them back.

It was only shortly after we cut through, did most of the soldiers surrender, including nine well-respected Generals. Sheridan ordered that two of the Cavalrymen take the surrendered soldiers back to the camp, while the rest of us continued towards Appomattox Station.

We charged past the confused and disoriented Confederate lines, beating them to the Station, taking their awaiting supplies and blocking their path. So far, the plan had gone well.

_Shun_

I didn't really have the slightest clue as to where exactly I was at, and I was fearing that I had been given the wrong directions back in the last town. I tugged on my horse's reigns and halted him, then pulled out the map, for what felt like the millionth time that day.

There were numerous markings all over the map of different routes that people had told me of how to get to my destination, and I was now confused on which one to follow now. "I've got to be near, I just now it," I said to myself with frustration and folded the map back up, deciding to wing it for a bit.

I turned the horse back around and started back towards a town that I had passed by that was less than a mile away now. It was mainly a Union-occupied town, so I had no fears of being attacked or murdered in such a place; it was a lot more friendly than any of the other places that I had passed through so far.

I hadn't stopped here when I first came upon the town, but now that I had, I saw that the town was a bit larger than I expected. As I rode through, I entertained the idea of asking somebody else here for directions, but I had grown so sick of asking people, who obviously had no idea of what they were talking about; it was kind of like the blind leading the blind.

I passed by a small thrift store, and the colors of blue and gold caught my eye. In the window was a Union uniform that didn't even seem to have a rip anywhere in it. The uniform quite obviously hadn't been worn in a battle, and I assumed it was nothing but surplus.

But I jumped off of my horse, leading him over to the store and tying him off to a post, then looked a bit more closely at the uniform. If I was really nearing back to where the Union army was, then I would need another uniform so I would be able to clarify whose side of the war I was on, and this seemed like as good a opportunity for me to get my hands on one as any.

I stepped inside of the store and walked straight up to the clerk. He was a middle-aged man with wire-framed spectacles placed on the edge of his nose. The clerk glanced up at me and said, "May I help you?" I glanced back at the window and asked him, "How much for that uniform in the window?"

The clerk craned his neck to see over me and looked in the direction of the window. He told me, "Eh, I was asking a couple dollars for it, but it's sat there for over a year. Take it if you want. I had something else I wanted to display in that spot anyway." I thanked him for his generosity and walked up behind the window and took the uniform from its resting place.

A thin layer of dust was spread over the fabric, which I dusted off to bring out the dark blue color of the wool and its gold decorations. I then checked the tag to see its measurements, and found that it would just fit me.

I tossed the uniform over my arm and left out of the store. When I returned to my horse, I set the uniform in my bag and was just about to hop back onto the saddle when I heard loud booming out in the distance. It was the sounds of gunfire; the sounds of war.

_Grant_

A soldier entered into my tent, a white envelop in his hands. He passed it over to me and said, "A return letter from General Lee, sir." I took the envelop and thanked the soldier, then dismissed him. A couple days prior to this, I had sent a letter to Lee, asking if he wished to surrender, seeing as how badly his army was on the ropes.

I tore open the letter and read what Lee had to say to my request; he had declined the option of surrender. Although, he did ask what kind of terms of surrender I had in mind. I wrote him back, explaining my terms, which weren't very harsh in the least bit.

I didn't understand how Lee couldn't accept that his defeat was sitting right there in front of him. In the time that it took him to write that letter and get it back to me, Sheridan and his Cavalry had cut into his lines and beaten them to Appomattox Station, separating them from their supplies.

On top of that, I also had the illustrious Major General George A. Custer and his Cavalry take out three more supply trains of Lee's as they headed in towards the Station. Lee was running low on everything from food and ammo, and yet, he didn't want to give up. "All he's doing it making his men suffer and die," I said aloud to myself.

If I were the one in Lee's shoes, I would have given up a long time ago. But I knew Lee all to well. I knew of his stubbornness and how he wasn't about to give up until he didn't have a single man left. And unless he came to a realization, he would always be like that. I hated to think that the only way to end this war was to destroy all of his army, but if that was our only choice, then so be it.

_Lee_

My supply lines were being crushed at Appomattox. Over three trains had been burned and the supplies on them burned to a crisp. It didn't matter anyway; my men couldn't get anywhere near Appomattox Station without running into Union resistance. But there was another hope for us.

There was a station in the West that had one of my supply trains there. It was at Lynchburg, which wasn't too far from our current position. Although, there was a bit of a problem. There was a line of Union Cavalry that stood in between me and that station. But that was it.

There was no infantry there yet, and if my men were able to break through the Cavalry lines, then Lynchburg would be in our grasp, along with our supplies. One of my staff members approached me, a letter in his hands. I knew that the contents of this letter would be Grant's terms of surrender that I had asked for.

I pulled out my knife and cut the envelop open, reading what Grant wanted from me. The terms weren't harsh at all, but now that I had the idea of getting to Lynchburg in my mind, I wanted nothing to do with the Grant's proposed surrender.

I felt that we could get those supplies, and if we could, then we might be able to turn things around. At my field desk, I wrote a reply back to Grant, telling him that I had no desire to surrender yet, but I was still open to discuss how the terms of surrender would affect that Confederacy. I handed the response letter to the staff member and sent him off to take my reply to Grant.

_Grant_

Another letter arrived to me from Lee. At the time, I had a splitting headache from dealing with the battles at hand and trying to convince Lee to surrender.

I took this new letter and opened it up, and stared in disbelief as I read that my opponent still wanted nothing to do with surrender, but was quite open to discuss the terms I had given him. I ran a hand over my face, then through my hair and said in an aggravated tone, "Looks like Lee still has plenty of fight left in him. Shame I can't say the same for his army."

If Lee was his own army, then I was sure that I would never be able to defeat him, for even if he was mortally wounded, I doubted he'd ever give up. True, that made a loyal and good General, but seeing as all his determination was doing was hurting himself, it was doing nothing but making him look incompetent.

I knew that my Union infantry was nearing in on Lee's position and would join Sheridan soon, adding onto his strength. When they all met up, I had a feeling that Lee would find out that I was no longer wishing to play games, that I was dead-set on finishing up what the South had started. I sighed and began to write another letter to Lee, demanding for his surrender, rather than asking for it.

_Dan_

We were in the process of fighting off Lee's forces once again. Since we had taken out one fourth of the army, it had helped make things slightly easier, but it was starting to prove a bit much for all of us to handle as we defended Appomattox Station.

I made my horse break away from the fighting and rode around, chasing off soldiers that were trying to gang up on us. Beside me, another Cavalryman stopped. He was drenched in sweat and panting heavily, and saw that portions of his uniform were stained with blood; whether it was his or somebody else's, I couldn't tell.

He said through gritted teeth, "Dammit. Major Gibbons needs to hurry up with those reinforcements. There's no way our Cavalry can stand up to this much longer." It was true. The Cavalry was designed to sweep in and launch quick attacks by horseback, but compared to the number of soldiers on foot, we dwindled in comparison.

I caught something that the Cavalryman said and asked him, "We're getting reinforcements soon?" He nodded and said between gasps of air, "Yeah. Major General Gibbons and Major General Ord are supposed to be rushing here to help us out as soon as possible."

The Cavalryman kicked his horse in its sides and jumped back into the battle after telling me this, and I was about to do the same thing when I heard a bugle call. I looked around and saw that Sheridan was heading towards a ridge towards the Southwest.

Our Cavalry instantly ran after him, Confederate troops trailing after us. Thanks to the speed of our horses, we put a good amount of distances between us and the enemy. When what was left of us gathered together, Sheridan quickly ordered us into three divisions.

We lined up as the commander had asked. He waited a bit as the enemy troops got closer, then told us to charge. I was on the second line, and it was a good thing too, for the Confederates decimated our first line and pushed them back. The second line quickly stepped in, and we halted the Rebel's advance.

But it wasn't enough, and the Confederates quickly took control over the ridge that we had run to in order to regroup. The moment they reached the crest of the ridge, I could see that their demeanors changed, and it didn't take long for me to see why. On the other side of the ridge, the entire Union XXIV Corps led by Major General John Gibbons.

_Dan_

The moment the Confederate Cavalry that was in attendance saw the massive numbers of the XXIV Corps, they turned tail and ran, leaving the battle behind and running off in the direction of, what I figured, was Lynchburg. I should have been surprised by their cowardice, but I really wasn't.

They were in a desperate situation, and they realized that they stood no chance against the massive numbers before them. So, they fled. But before the rest of our enemies had a chance to run as well, the newly acquired troops charged in after the Confederate soldiers.

Now, it was infantry versus infantry, giving us Cavalry soldiers a much needed break. Although, many of stayed behind and fought with Sheridan instead of returning to the camp. As I rode through the battlefield, my horse at a full run, I took in the site of the carnage for the first time.

It was savage, something I had never paid attention to before, and I wondered how I had lasted nearly over four years in this kind of environment. While I was zoned out, I didn't see the Confederate soldier that had jumped in the way of my horse. The animal freaked out and reared back a bit.

I then caught a glimpse of the soldier lift a Cavalry saber and slice into the body of the horse, causing the already frightened steed to go ballistic. I was thrown off the saddle and landed on the ground with a thud, then watched as my injured horse fled from its vicious attacker.

I then remembered the soldier that had just dismounted me from my warhorse, and looked up to see him standing in front of me. My horse's blood oozed from the blade of the saber in his hands and dripped on the ground. His eyes were narrowed at me, and bright blue hair stuck out from under his uniform hat.

I quickly rose to my feet, drawing my own saber to defend myself. I had no idea how this infantry soldier got his hands on a Cavalry-issued saber, but then again, I had no idea how things really worked in the Confederacy. The blue-haired soldier charged at me, and I blocked his attack with the blade of my saber.

He stumbled back a bit, and when I did, I noticed a familiar face behind him; Jones. The traitor of the Union pulled a pistol and shot a round at me, which grazed my shoulder, but still put enough pain through my body to cause me to drop my own weapon and fall back onto the ground.

Now, the blue-haired Confederate soldier had lifted the blade of his saber, and was about to bring his wrath down upon me.

_Shun_

After hearing the sounds of gunfire, I had quickly slipped away and changed into my newly acquired uniform. Once I was done with that, I jumped on the saddle of my horse and rode out of the town as fast as the animal could take me. I followed the sounds of war through a forest, passing little town settlements as I did so.

The fighting had to be a good two miles or so away from me, and by how fast I was going, I would reach the battle soon enough. I wasn't sure what to expect when I got there though. Would it be a disaster for the Union or for the Confederacy?

It then occurred to me that I didn't have a single weapon on me, so I was unable to defend myself until otherwise. I figured I could get my hands on a dropped musket or something out on the battlefield, but then I wouldn't have much ammo, or any at all.

Those were all bridges that I would cross when I came to them. For the time being, my main priority was to get back into the fight and get payback on that arrogant Southerner, Klaus. As I rode through the forest, limbs of trees and shrubs hit my shoulders and legs, along with the body of my horse.

But neither one of us paid the attacks of nature any mind. I then came to a clearing and halted the horse at the top of a large hill that looked out into a ravine with a ridge to the side. Below, I saw what I had brought me here; the battle. There were tons of Union soldiers, and maybe about one Confederate soldier for every three Union.

And by the looks of things, the Union was decimating the battlefield. A hollow feeling formed in my stomach when I recalled the dream I had of where the war took Alice from me, and I was forced to watch what it all really looked like. There was no massive fire consuming everything it touched, but there might as well have been.

As my eyes scanned the battlefield, I caught a glimpse of Dan. _He's lasted this long, _I thought to myself with relief. I then watched as his horse was taken out from under him, and as he got locked in combat with a Confederate soldier.

There was then a flash of blue hair, and I instantly knew who it was that Dan was fighting. Before I could blink, Dan had fallen down on the ground for whatever reason, was defenseless, and Klaus was about to end my best friend's life.

I acted on impulse and popped the horse's reigns, barreling down the hill before me and towards where Klaus and Dan were. Klaus was just about to bring the saber down when I put myself and horse between him and Dan.

The horse reared back, kicking its front legs at Klaus, which caused the Southerner to fall back onto the ground. He looked up at me with narrowed eyes, which suddenly widened. "You….You're alive."

_Lee_

Colonel Charles Venable approached me, a grim look on his face. I had sent him out to speak to Major Gordon to give me a report on how the current battle was going, and by the look of his face, I could only assume that things were turning for the worst.

Venable told me, "Gordon wanted to tell you that he has fought his troops to the end, and he will continue to for you, but he fears that he cannot stand much longer unless more troops are sent." This was not good news for me, and I knew Gordon well enough that he didn't want to admit that he needed help and that we were losing badly.

I forced myself out of my seat and paced around my temporary field office, Venable still standing there awaiting my remarks. My eyes fell on my desk and to the most recent letter from Grant. In this one, he demanded for my surrender, saying that he was no longer going to hold back his forces and give me second chances to give up.

_He wasn't bluffing….I should have known better than that….Grant doesn't bluff. _I sat back down in my chair, feeling like an ancient, old man at the end of his life's rope. I was in a corner, with nowhere else to go. I had been defeated. It was as simple as that.

As much as I hated to admit it at last, even I could see that God had turned against us, that the end was upon us and that continuing on would only mean more disaster. "Then there is nothing left for me to do but to go and see General Grant…..And I would rather die a thousand deaths than do that," I said to Venable.

He nodded and left my field office. Word quickly spread around the camp of my talk of surrender, and several Generals that were in the camp approached me, saying that they all agreed that it was time to give up. There was one though, that did not agree.

He said to me, "Lee, if we give up, then the rest of the Confederacy will surely fall." I placed my hand on his shoulder and said to him, "Then let it fall. This has gone on for far too long, and it is time to end this." I walked to the edge of the camp and sighed.

I could hear the fighting still taking place nearby. My troops were still giving it their all. Those that were down there fighting and perishing, were the most loyal of all that had been in the war. They were the ones who followed orders and stayed by my side when others left.

They were the real heroes, even if the world saw them as the villains. The Confederacy may have seen me as their hero, but it was those soldiers down there that were the real heroes.

_Grant_

One of the final letters from Lee was placed in my hands, and as I scanned the parchment, I felt my headache finally let up at long last. Lee had agreed to meet to surrender his army over to me, finally throwing in the towel on this fight at long last. I smiled, pure elation flooding over me.

My men would finally be out of this mess. They would finally be able to rest easy for a night without fear of Lee's army planning another sneak attack on us. I continued to read the letter, and saw that Lee had said where he would like to surrender at, which I had given him this choice in one of my previous letters to him.

He had asked to surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, a small village of about twenty buildings, in the living room of a house that belonged to a man by the name of Wilmer McLean. I had no oppositions to this location; I was just pleased to know that Lee finally gave in.

He also wrote that he would call a cease-fire after I did first, for then he would know that I had received his letter of surrender. I hurried out of my tent and found a soldier that had been taken back to the camp for treatment of a fractured wrist, and told him, "Spread the word, I'm calling a cease-fire!"

_Shun_

If Klaus' eyes could have gotten any wider, they might have just popped out of his head. Behind him, Jones had his own expression of surprise, but it was nowhere near like that of Klaus. On the other side of me, Dan stuttered out, "Sh-Shun? How did you?"

I knew this must have been like seeing a ghost for the three of them, which didn't surprise me. It was quite obvious that everyone here thought I was dead, and I should have been if I hadn't gotten out of the prison when I did. I glanced down at Dan, who was still sitting on the ground and clutching a bloody shoulder, and told him, "Long story."

I then turned back to Klaus and narrowed my eyes at him. "You and I have a score to settle," I said coldly. Klaus snapped back to reality and realized the danger that he was in. The blue-haired man jumped up to his feet and began to run towards the trees.

I shouted to Dan, "Toss me that saber!" Dan nodded and threw me the Cavalry-issued weapon, and I jumped off of the horse and pursued Klaus on foot. Jones was trying to load another round into his gun, but I saw just as Dan took my place on the horse and made the animal run past Jones, knocking the brute over.

As I chased after Klaus, I was reminded on when I was taken prisoner. Something similar had happened, but now, the tables were turned around. The two of us had gone well beyond the battlefield now. Klaus stopped running when he reached a clearing in the trees, and turned around to face me.

His eyes were wide with fear. "How? How the hell did you get back here! You went a Prison! You should have died there!" he shouted frantically. I remained calm, trying not to let my amusement in Klaus' fear show through. I told him, "Determination can make a person accomplish amazing things. It got me out of that Prison and back here because of that determination. And now, I'm going to end this feud between you and I."

Klaus shook his head and charged at me, and I blocked the arc of his saber's attack. The blade ricocheted along the blade of my own saber, and I took advantage of the opening Klaus had left for himself and sliced into one of this legs.

The blade didn't cut deep, but it was enough to cause blood to pour out and for him to cry out and step back. "You've been a pain to me since the moment I met you!" he shouted and charged at me again. I stepped aside to dodge his attack, and because of his bad leg, he had issues stopping himself.

He quickly turned back around and shouted at me, "Ever since you waltzed into my life, all I've had is nothing but misfortune! You've taken away all that I've held dear to me! You've taken Alice! Everything!" He ran at me again, and I didn't move this time.

Instead, I brought the blade of my saber under his and pulled up, causing his weapon to fly from his hands and up into the air. It stuck in the ground nearby. Klaus, trembling with fear now, stumbled back and fell on the ground, eyes even wider.

"No! No! This can't be happening! I was supposed to kill you! I was supposed to get Alice back!" he shouted like a madman. I narrowed my eyes at him and said harshly, "Get her back? How can you get back something that you never had from the start? Why haven't you been able to see that yet, Klaus!"

He pressed his hands against his ears and shook his head frantically. Tears began to stream down his face. "No! I love her! And she loved me until you came along and ruined it all! You lie! We loved each other!" And it was then that I saw behind the pompous appearance and realized who Klaus really was.

He was nothing more than a desperate soul, yearning for something in life. Alice just happened to be what came along and made him believe that this void in him was filled.

I could see that he did love her; that was a given. But that feeling of having something in his life at long lost, had obviously clouded his judgment to where he couldn't see that Alice didn't feel the same about him. He was blind to everyone's feelings except for his own.

I felt pity towards him. He had tricked himself into believing all of what he had just said, and now that he heard the truth, he was unable to handle it. I lowered my saber down to my side and said to Klaus, "You said you love her, right?" The blue-haired man, laying in a crumpled pile on the ground, shot a look up at me and stared at me with his tear-streaked face.

"Yes! Of course! Why else would I be fighting in a war to get revenge on the one who took her from me!" he bellowed. I knelt down before the pitiful excuse for a human and asked him, "You want her to be happy, right?" He nodded, but I could see confusion building in his eyes.

"And you know that she doesn't love you, that she never loved you. So, don't deny it. But if you really love her and want her to be happy, then you have to let her go. You have to let her be with who she wants to be with, not with who she's forced to be with," I said to him slowly to make sure he understood what I was trying to let him know.

I added, "I assure you, there's going to be somebody else out there that will want to be with you, but you won't ever find them if you don't move on from this and search for them. I thought the same way a long time ago, that there would be nobody out there for me. But I found her, and if I can find somebody, then I sure as hell know _you _can too."

I could see that I was starting to get through to him, so I continued to speak to him. "If you keep on doing what you are doing though, then nobody will win. All that you'll do is make Alice miserable and yourself miserable in the process," I told him sternly.

I stood up and looked down at the blue-haired man. His eyes were staring at the ground before him, but it looked as though he was seeing something else other than dirt and grass. "You….You really think Alice would want this? You really think she'd want me to move on?" he asked in a shaky voice.

I gave him a single nod and told him, "Yes. I know she would." Klaus then looked up at me, and I saw that the tears had stopped flowing from his eyes. "Then….All that you've said….It's all true….Every last bit of it," he stuttered out. I nodded and replied, "Of course it's true. I would have no reason to lie about something like this."

This whole conversation reminded me of trying to speak to a small child who barely understands the way the world works, and I was the person that was trying to piece it all together for them. I extended my hand out to Klaus, feeling that he was no longer the enemy.

I couldn't have killed him. No, I would have killed him if I had not seen him for what he truly was. But when I discovered what was hidden behind his mask, I knew he wasn't at fault for any of this. That killing him wouldn't have done anything but make me the bad guy in it all.

Klaus stared at my hand for a moment, then took it and allowed me to help him to his feet. He favored his injured leg, placing weight on his good one that didn't have a gash in it. He looked at me and smiled faintly, "Thanks for helping me see the light and the error of my ways.

I probably would have gone the rest of my life fooling myself like that." Behind us, I heard the pounding of footsteps and turned to see Jones run into the clearing. His eyes were ablaze with anger and rage. They then locked onto me and he shouted, "Klaus! Why the hell haven't you killed him!"

Jones pointed one of his massive fingers at me, then shot a glare at Klaus. The blue-haired man replied, "Because he isn't my enemy anymore." Jones began to laugh. "Him! You can't stand him, remember!" the brute shouted.

Klaus narrowed his eyes at Jones and said harshly, "That was before I was shown the error in my ways and in my reasons for fighting and doing all of the wrong that I have done." Jones laughed again and was shaking his head, then pulled his pistol out, pointing the barrel at me.

He shot a round, which just barely missed me. I dove to the ground and new I had a limited amount of time before Jones got another round loaded. I caught a glimpse of Klaus retrieving the saber that I had knocked out of his hands. I scrambled back up to my feet just in time to see Jones pointing the pistol at me once again.

I then watched as Klaus ran in front of Jones, impaling the brute with his saber. The blade jutted out of the traitor's back, and blood poured from his mouth as his eyes went dark. But the moment the saber penetrated him, I heard a shot from the pistol, which I figured Jones pulled accidentally after he was wounded.

Jones' lifeless form dropped to the ground on its knees, and Klaus still stood there, holding on tightly to the saber in the ex-Union soldier's stomach. I approached Klaus and told him, "I owe you for-" My words were cut off when I saw that the back of Klaus' gray uniform was slowly starting to become soaked with blood; his blood.

It then occurred to me that the shot that Jones fired accidentally, hit Klaus. He let go of the saber's handle and fell backwards onto the ground. I quickly ran over to him. The front of his uniform jacket was covered with his own blood, along with some of Jones', I was sure.

All of the color had drained from Klaus' face, and I was suddenly reminded of when Noah was shot after our escape from the prison. He opened his eyes slightly and turned to look at me. "I couldn't let him kill you….Somebody's…Somebody's got to be with Alice," he said to me, his voice gurgling a bit.

I nodded once and told him, "Yeah. And I'll be sure to let her know that she can thank you for making sure of that." He smiled faintly then closed his eyes, and I saw his chest move one last time as the last breath of his life slipped away.

I stood up and looked at the two dead bodies that lay on the ground; one of an enemy, and one of somebody who used to be an enemy. It amazed me how quickly things could change like this. Not an hour ago, I was dead-set on killing Klaus, and now, look at what had happened.

I heard the thundering of hooves and looked to see Dan ride up on my horse, clutching his shoulder. He stared in surprise at the bodies of Jones and Klaus.

"Whoa. Looks like you can handle yourself better than I thought, buddy," he said in surprise. He then snapped back to reality and said, "Oh, yeah! I'm glad I found you! We have to return back to the camp! A cease-fire was called. I think Lee has finally surrendered."

* * *

-crawls away from the computer- oh my god. i've been working on this chapter since 11 this morning. it has to be maybe one of my longest chapters i've ever written. twenty pages worth of microsoft word was used to make this. oh god. and the thing is, it's gonna be a two part thing. i could have fit the rest into this chapter, but there was already so much. my entire sunday went into making this chapter, so i hope everyone enjoys it. (thank god i don't have school tomorrow). read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	53. April 1865: A Day That Belongs To Infamy

_The Surrender_

Soldiers from both opposing forces, for the first time since the was began, stood side-by-side to each other. Although, they were no standing there as brothers just yet. They were standing outside of the McLean house, where the two illustrious Generals from the North and South were about to come to terms with a surrender.

The faces of the Union soldiers, showed pride and joy that this day had finally come, while the Southerners had no mutual feelings. This was shameful to them, but many were grateful for the end of this long and tedious war. Some of them feared that they would be arrested and punished for treason after this. They didn't want to be locked away for fighting for what they believed in; it wouldn't be right.

On the front porch of the McLean house, General Robert E. Lee stood there, arms folded behind his back and chin held high, despite what was about to happen. His uniform was in an immaculate condition, without even so much as a speck of mud or dirt on him; Lee had wanted to look formal and presentable for his final defeat.

Surrender had been something that Lee hadn't wanted to do, but on this day, the Union proved to be more than he could handle. All odds were against him, and everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong, and then some. Suddenly, the crowd of soldiers parted, revealing General Ulysses S. Grant.

Unlike Lee, Grant's uniform was anything but immaculate. It was tattered and splattered with mud; a night and day contrast between the two men. But Grant hadn't come to this event to look spick and span. He came to get the job done and put and end to Lee's army.

As far as he was concerned, it wasn't a formal event. There was nothing formal about it. It was the end of a bloody war, so why should the end be any more civilized than what led up to it? The two Generals stood in their places, staring the other down.

A deathly still silence hung in the air, and some soldiers were convinced that even the birds and the rest of nature had silenced herself to watch the stand-off. Grant solemnly closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, began to walk up to the McLean house.

He walked up the steps, one at a time, until he reached where Lee stood on the porch. The two exchanged a look to one another, that many soldiers couldn't determine as whether it was a look of superiority, hatred, or recognition. After another moment of standing there in silence, the two Generals nodded and stepped inside of the house, no longer visible to their soldiers.

The house was nice. There wasn't a spot of dirt or dust anywhere to be found, and everything was organized in a neat fashion. The main living room would be where the agreement would take place. Grant and Lee stepped into the room and took their seats across from each other, only a coffee table separating them.

Grant's expression turned from blank, to one overcome with sadness. "It's been a long time, Robert….How long do you think? Over twenty years?" Grant asked solemnly. General Lee adverted his gaze from his old adversary and said, "I believe so, Ulysses." Unbeknownst to many people, Lee and Grant knew each other.

Many years prior to the Civil War, long before such a thing was even considered, they used to be comrades. The two fought side-by-side in the Mexican-American War. Grant smiled sadly and said with a chuckle, "It's a shame that we have to meet again under such conditions, isn't it, Lee?"

The Confederate General said nothing in response to Grant's rhetorical question. This was the first time since that War then the two had seen the other's face, and neither one of them were sure if time had aged the other, or if it had been the war. Grant then brought up their only encounter in the Mexican-American War and began to reminisce on that time that was so long ago.

Lee, wishing for nothing else but to get this humiliation over with, brought the matter at hand back to attention. He said to Grant, "We have something that needs to be taken care of. Old wartime stories can wait till later." Grant nodded in agreement and handed over a list with his terms of surrender.

Lee looked over them, finding that many of them hadn't changed from when they were exchanging words over letters. The terms were very generous, more generous than the Confederate General could have hoped for. None of his men would be imprisoned or prosecuted for treason against the Union, which was more than acceptable on Lee's part.

He knew that the last thing those soldiers out there wanted, was to finally be freed from the war and be unable to go back to their families that they had left behind. Grant then told Lee, "They will also be able to take home their horses, and we'll supply them with enough rations to get them where they need to go."

Lee was overcome with how generous Grant was being. The Union General could have just as easily gone and said that all of the Confederate soldiers in his army would be thrown in prison or left out here to starve, but no. Grant was showing mercy that on any other day, Lee would have taken as an insult.

But he was grateful for the kindness that was being shown from his old adversary. "So, do you agree to my terms, Robert?" Grant asked while extending out his hand for Lee to shake. Lee, without much hesitation, shook Grant's hand and said, "Gladly, Ulysses."

Papers were signed to record what happened there that day. Once all was said and done, Lee stepped out of the house, finding soldiers' eyes from both sides locked on him. He turned to his own troops, and told them, "Pack your things and go home." A flood of relief washed over them when they realized that they would not be arrested for taking part in the war.

Lee walked down the steps and over to his own horse, climbed up on the saddle, and rode off, following behind his troops as they returned to their camp to gather their belongings. From the porch, Grant watched Lee ride off in defeat, and the Union General sighed with a heavy heart.

He hated to think that the war had turned he and Lee against each other, when they used to be allies not too long ago. As the last Confederate soldier walked away from the McLean house, the Union soldiers began to cheer and celebrate right there. But their celebration was cut short by Grant.

"Stop! There will be no celebrating now. You can wait till later, but not now. This is not the time for such actions," the General said sternly. His men quieted down, returning to a state of professionalism. As Grant stood at the base of the stairs of the McLean house, General Meade joined his side.

He remarked that, "It's finally over, huh, sir?" Grant replied to Meade, "It appears that way, but there are more Confederate forces scattered about in the South. It's true that none of them are as threatening or as challenging as Lee's army was, and I have a feeling that they will slowly begin to crumble away when word of Lee's defeat reaches them."

And Grant couldn't be more right. It wouldn't take more than a month for nearly all of the smaller and weaker Confederate armies to disperse when they realized that the Confederacy's power was fading.

Grant then turned to his remaining troops and told them, "As far as I'm concerned, this war is over for you all. You can all begin to pack your things and return home, or you can choose to join another General's command and carry on throughout what little is left of the war."

Soldiers, elated to hear the words that finally set them free, hurried back to the camp and began to gather their things, more than happy to leave their hardships behind forever.

_Shun_

Since I had been missing in action for several months, I had no belongings in the camp; anything that was mine, had been lost a long time ago. But regardless, I returned back into the camp, leading my horse by its reigns. Soldiers all around me were cheering and laughing as they stuffed their belongings into their duffle bags.

It was quite obvious that they were more than glad to be leaving now. As I navigated my way through the maze of tents, I accidentally stumbled upon Dan's tent. He had just stepped out of the canvas structure, duffle bag thrown over his shoulder. His eyes glanced in my direction, then locked onto me when his mind registered who I was.

Dan then ran towards me, stopping just in time before he would have flattened me on the ground where I stood. He smiled widely and shook his head. "I still can't believe you're alive, buddy. I was seriously starting to give up and think you were dead. Thank God you didn't though. I don't think I could stand knowing that my best friend died."

I thought I saw a small tear try and work its way out of Dan's eye, but he must have blinked it away before it had the chance to escape. I smiled back and said to him, "Trust me, you're not the only one who's happy that I didn't die. I'm pretty glad about it myself."

Dan laughed then asked me, "So, what exactly happened to you? I could only guess and assume what really was going on." I thought back to the last time that I had seen Dan so I would where to begin. When I remembered, I told him, "I was taken as a prisoner after the Overland Campaign, but shortly after arriving at that hellhole of a Prison Camp, me and another person escaped….Although, I was the only one that got away, but that's beside the point. After that, I wandered around for several months till I found that I had stumbled back into Alice's hometown, where her friends helped get me back to health. Without them, I'm sure I would have died in the woods somewhere."

Dan stared at me in disbelief and said, "Man, if I had been in that situation, I don't think I would have had in me to keep going, much less return to the battlefield. That's real bravery there." I chuckled and told him, "Bravery had nothing to do with it. It was all determination to live and keep a promise."

The two of us began walking around the camp, catching up on what had happened in my absence. At one point, I asked Dan, "So, anything interesting happen that I missed?" Dan scratched the back of his head and thought for a moment. "Nah, not really. Just blew up a couple of Confederate forts and failed miserable several times. You know, the same old stuff." I stared at him for a moment.

"Do I want to know?" I asked, unsure if I wanted to hear the details about when they blew up a fort. Dan laughed nervously and said, "Probably not." As we continued on our walk, I remembered something. I said to Dan, "Oh, yeah. You remember that blue-haired girl that was a friend of Alice's?"

Dan raised one of his eyebrows and said, "Yeah, the one that's really stubborn, right? What about her?" I grinned mischievously and told him, "When I woke up after they found me, she asked a lot of questions about you. She seemed really worried and curious to know whether or not you were okay." Dan tilted his head to the side. "Really?" he said with a bit of eagerness in his voice.

He must have realized this, for he shook his head and tried to play it off. "Yeah, right. I'm starting to think that you might be a compulsive liar," he said with a slight blush showing through his face. I rolled my eyes and told him, "Even I could see that she fancies you. Why, I have no idea."

Dan narrowed his eyes and me and jumped in front of me. "And what do you know about what girls are thinking? You probably still can't tell what they're think, even if they told you," he said and poked my chest with his finger for emphasis. I chuckled and walked around him, waving my hand nonchalantly.

"Maybe I picked up a few more skills while I was away," I said with a grin, knowing that what I said would only rile Dan up more. I continued on walking down the rows of tents, leaving Dan standing back where I left him.

I could hear him ranting and shouting, "You? Skills with women? Don't make me laugh!" He then proceeded to execute a sarcastic laugh for emphasis, but all I did was grin, knowing that my friend was in denial over the truth.

_Alice_

Something about that morning felt different. There wasn't a heavy air that lingered about, or somber feelings that seemed to permeate through the buildings and reach the people inside. For some reason, everything felt like light and joyous.

I climbed out of my bed and walked over to my room's window, seeing people out in the streets, smiles on their faces. They were embracing total strangers in hugs, and this strange behavior had me confused. What was going on that had brought all of these people together?

I quickly slipped into my dress and hurried downstairs to see if I could find out the source of all of the commotion. I ran out into the streets, watching as people cheered and laughed. I flagged down a little boy that might have been a couple years younger than me.

"Excuse me, but what's going on here?" I asked, pointing to the celebrating people. The young boy's smile grew a bit wider. He told me, "They're all celebrating the fact that General Lee surrendered to General Grant, and that the war is finally coming to an end! Now, my brother will come home soon!"

The boy then ran off, shouting happily, which brought a warmhearted smile to my face. It then occurred to me that if the boy's brother would be coming home from Grant's army soon, then Shun would probably be as well. My eyes widened with this realization and I ran back into my room at the local inn, gathering up my belongings.

Shun had told me that he'd find me after the war, but I didn't want to wait to see him again. If the war really was ending, then I wanted to see him as soon as possible to really be sure that it was all over. Shun, a long time ago when we first met, mentioned that he lived in New York.

So, odds were, that he'd eventually make his way back there, right? I ran back downstairs and told the innkeeper that I was now leaving. She waved goodbye to me as I left. I ran outside into the streets, making my way past still-celebrating people, and hurried to the nearest train station. When I reached my destination, I told the train conductor that I'd like the next ride to New York.

_Assassination_

The theater was packed with spectators, but none was more profound a one that the President himself; Abraham Lincoln. He was there in one of the top balconies of Ford's Theater, waiting to take in the play called My American Cousin. It had gotten many positive reviews, and the President was a rather die-hard fan of the theatrical performances put on at this theater.

But sadly, this wouldn't be a normal play, for it would be Lincoln's last. A shady man, whose one goal was to cause harm that night, snuck in through the theater without being detected. He should have run into some resistance as he snaked his way up to Lincoln's balcony, but by a sick twist of fate, the guard had stepped out to get a better view of the play, leaving the President unguarded and wide open.

This man, John Wilkes Booth, knew every square inch of Ford's Theater, for he had spent quite some time there as well taking in plays and sometimes even performing in them. He had a home field advantage. Booth finally came upon the door to Lincoln's balcony, knowing that his target was on the other side.

He took in several deep breaths, knowing that he was about to go down in the history books in bloody infamy. But he was doing this in the name of the great Confederacy that was beginning to fall, and there was no turning back. He grabbed onto the doorknob and flung the door open.

Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd, jumped up as the slamming of the door startled them. Booth, acting quickly, put a bullet into the President's chest, then jumped off the balcony, grabbing onto the decorative drapes as he fell down to the stage, where he injured his ankle.

He winced in pain, but fought through it and ran off. The people in the audience first thought that this was part of the play's theatrics, so nobody immediately began to panic. But upon hearing Mary Todd's frantic cries for help and wails of sadness, people began to look up and saw that their President had been shot.

People began to flood out of the theater in fear of their owns lives, screaming that Lincoln had been assassinated, which spread the panic far and wide. Security quickly stepped in and hurried Lincoln to receive medical help, for he hadn't succumbed to his wounds.

Once Lincoln was taken to a hospital, surgery immediately went into play to try and remove the bullet, which had been a bad idea. Doctors were sticking their hands into the wound, desperately searching for the bullet, and only caused more damage as their unclean appendages allowed infection to build up in the President's body.

As Lincoln lay there, slowly dying at the hands of the best that medicine could offer him, Mary Todd was by his bedside, crying and praying for her husband's survival, which would never happen. Lincoln died, becoming the first president to be assassinated, and left a country shaken to its core with fear and grief, for their leader had been killed.

* * *

i just realized some really bad irony. i just wrote about the assassination of a president while Obama was being inaugurated. o.o -laughs nervously- that was not intended at all. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	54. May 1865: A Warm Welcome Home

_Shun_

The train car was packed with soldiers that were returning home, Dan and I included. The ride wasn't quiet, but it wasn't loud either; it was mainly comprised of idle chitchat about how happy people were that they could finally go home. There were several stops between the station we left and the station that Dan and I would get off at.

It wasn't an inconvenience to me, but my friend was making it seem like it was the end of the world. He wanted to hurry up and get home and see his mother and father again, to eat one of his mother's home cooked meals, to sleep in his own bed rather than a canvas cot.

It wasn't like that I didn't want to hurry back and be in the comforts of my own home, but I wasn't in a rush; I was going to enjoy the last few moments of peace that remained before life tried its best to return back to normal. I stared out of the window, watching the land fly past me as the train sped along to its next stop.

Trees shot by, sometimes becoming nothing but green and brown blurs, while other times I would catch a total image of the tree. As I looked out the window at the world that sped by, Dan sat next to me and suddenly asked, "So, you mentioned something about that Runo girl being worried about me? Not that it matters to me, I just find it amusing is all."

I rolled my eyes, dumbfounded that he hadn't admitted to himself the obvious. "Yes, she asked about you. And like I said before, she appeared to be genuinely concerned for your well-being." Dan tapped his index finger on his chin and looked up at the ceiling of the train car.

"I see," he said ponderously. "You think I'd ever see her again? I really don't want to, but I think it would be nice to let her know that I'm alive and survived the war, rather than worrying herself to death wondering about me," he said awkwardly, trying desperately to recover and make it appear that he didn't care for the bluenette.

I sighed and asked him, "Why don't you just admit that you kind of like her?" Dan laughed, but I could tell that it wasn't a true and genuine laugh. "Oh, please. And people say you lack humor at times. Me? Care for that stubborn girl? Yeah, right…..Besides, the wars nearly over and the North's pretty much won. I'm sure she'll hate us Northerners even more because of that," he said to me, his voice trailing away towards the end.

I pulled my gaze away from the window and shot a serious look to my friend. He seemed to be surprised by my sudden action, and backed away a bit. I told him sternly, "If there is anything that this war has taught me, it's that you should never give up a good thing, no matter how hopeless it may seem."

The brunette blinked in surprise, obviously not expecting the words of wisdom I had just relayed to him. He said to me, "These past four years have really changed you, haven't they?" I wasn't about to deny that the war had changed me; it had. Whether it was for better or worse, only time would reveal.

I nodded and told him, "It's changed a lot of people, not just me." Dan crossed his arms over his chest and let out a huff of air that caused his partially overgrown bangs to flutter. "Tell me about it," he said under his breath. I could see that the war had even changed my best friend. He was no longer as loud and obnoxious like he used to be.

He seemed to have mellowed out a bit, perhaps even grown out of that childish, immature attitude he had at times. There had been a time in my life when I wondered if Dan would ever grow up, and now that I saw that it had finally happened, I wasn't so sure if I'd ever get used to this new side of him.

But not everything could change about a person, right? Parts of their old selves surely would have had to lingered, just like with me. The war may have changed me, but not entirely. It may have made me wiser, even braver, but I was still the same nonetheless.

Or, at least, I was going to try and remain as much like my old self as I could manage. Dan leaned back in his chair and said, "Okay, let's say that I did care about Runo, not saying that I do. I'm just speaking rhetorically here. Do you really think going back into the South after all the events that have transpired recently? They didn't like us from the start, and I really doubt they'll feel any different now. It wouldn't be a good idea for me to go back there."

I sighed, finding that the only thing that hadn't changed in Dan, was his stubbornness. I told him, "Then wait till the bad blood washes away. If she means of any importance to you and vice versa, then time shouldn't matter, right?"

Dan shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I suppose…When did you become and expert on this kind of stuff? I mean, seriously?" I smiled and gazed back out of the window, watching the land rush past me once more. "Reality will teach you some valuable lessons in life, it just depends on whether or not you want to listen and learn from them."

_Alice_

The train docked in its station, and I found myself stepping out onto the platform. New York was quite the city, even for its time. The buildings weren't much larger than what I had back home, but there were multitudes of them everywhere, packed tightly together and creating narrow alleyways.

_How am I ever going to find Shun in such a place, _I thought to myself. I knew that the soldiers most likely hadn't returned this far North yet, so I had some time to go around the city and see if I could scrounge up any information about where I would most likely find Shun.

But that would have to wait till the morning, for it was getting late, and I was growing tired. I slung my luggage bag over my shoulder and walked through the streets of the massive city, passing by horse-drawn carriages and people. Their faces all seemed to be brightly lit, and smiles were found almost everywhere I looked.

Perhaps they were also happy to have the soldiers returning home from the war soon. After a few minutes of walking, I finally came across an inn that appeared to be nice enough to stay in; many that I checked out, weren't in the nicest of conditions. I walked up to the front counter and rang the service bell.

A rather eager-looking woman came running up to the counter, fixing her hair and quickly apologizing for the delay. I laughed and told her it was of no inconvenience to me and that I would like a room. When she asked me for how long I would be staying, I replied with, "I'm not sure. You see, I'm waiting for when the soldiers from Grant's army arrive back here. There's somebody that will on board that train that I've been waiting to see for quite some time now."

The woman smiled and placed her hand on her collarbone, making it appear as though she had been moved by my story. "That's so romantic," she said breathlessly. "Here, since you've been waiting so long for this, how about I give you a room free of charge until they arrive?"

I wasn't sure I had heard her right, so I asked her to repeat what she had just said to me. The woman repeated herself, verifying that I heard her right. I smiled and said to her, "That would be greatly appreciated." She smiled brightly and turned around, grabbing a room key from one of the slots, and handed it over to me.

"Do enjoy your stay," she said happily, "and I'm very glad to help if you need it." I thanked her for her kindness once again, then started up the stairs when I remembered something. I hurried back down and ran back to the counter, catching the woman off guard by my sudden reappearance.

"Yes?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise. I drummed my fingers on the counter. "You wouldn't happen by chance know where the soldiers will arrive back at? Like, what station, day, and time?" She tapped her finger on the end of her chin and gazed thoughtfully up at the ceiling.

"Hmm. I've heard rumors around the city that they'll arrive at the station about three blocks from here on the East side. As for day and time, I don't have the slightest clue. I wish I could help more," she said sympathetically. Thanking her again, I let her know that she had helped me out more than she would ever realize.

I then proceeded upstairs to find my room, which was rather nice for a local and inexpensive little inn. The room was spacious and sported a bed and desk, along with a couple of wingback chairs. I placed my bag down on my bed and immediately hurried over to the window, where I threw back the currents, taking in the site of New York at night.

Windows were lit up with oil lamps, making it look like the life inside the buildings had suddenly adopted a way to show themselves.

Since I had no knowledge of when the soldiers' train would arrive at the station, I figured that I would have to make my way to the station as often as possible and see if when I showed up, they were returning as well.

But as I gazed out the window, I couldn't help but smile when I realized that I would be able to see Shun again without being pressed for time.

_Shun_

The loud screech of the train's brakes woke me from my slumber. I jumped in my seat, frantically looking around to see what was going on. I apparently wasn't the only one who had been startled by this, for several other soldiers were doing the same thing as I.

Dan, who had also been asleep, hadn't even been fazed by the sound. He still slept soundly in his seat beside mine. I shook my head in disbelief, wondering how he had gotten any rest at all during the war and during the battles that went on through the night.

But now that I knew that I was awake and that we had stopped, I glanced back out of the window to see if I could identify where were at. I found myself looking out into a familiar train platform, and it didn't take me long to realize that this was one of the main train stations in New York, and the very one that we had gone to when we were first shipped off for the war.

We were home. I turned around and shook Dan awake, which was easier than I was expecting to be. He looked around sleepily. "Huh? What's going on?" he asked with a yawn. I told him, "Dan, we're home. We're back home." He stared at me for a moment, then I knew when it registered to him, for his eyes grew wide with excitement.

"Are you serious?" he asked and pressed his face against the window. He then backed away and said with a smile, "We are back home." The train conductor stepped onto our car and said, "All that need to get off at this stop, gather your belongings and please proceed onto the exiting platform."

Dan didn't hesitate to get out of his seat and run out of the train car. I rolled my eyes, finding that Dan's mature attitude he adopted during the war, might just have been temporary. I stepped out of the train car and walked towards the storage car.

There, I asked the person that was handing out people's belongings to hand me my things, and to unload the horse that I had brought back with me; it didn't occur to me at the time that I really didn't have anywhere to keep the animal right off, but I was sure that I would figure something out.

Besides, I had grown rather attached to the horse that I bought off the hands of a total stranger. The storage manager let a ramp down in the back and disappeared inside the car, then reappeared shortly after, leading my horse along by its reigns.

He had also tied my belongings onto the saddle, so it was all bundled as one convenient package. I thanked him, and he thanked me for my service in the war, to return the courtesy. As I exited the platform, I began to scan the gathering crowd of people for my idiotic friend.

I didn't immediately spot him among the masses, and I began to wonder if he had just run right back to his home. But I continued to search for him among all of the others faces of people waiting for their loved ones to emerge from the train. I found it strange and almost foreign to be back home; the battlefield and all of its hardships had been my life for what felt like an eternity.

Suddenly, I heard Dan shout my name, and I eventually saw him waving his hands above his head. He was standing beside his mother and father, who he apparently had located in the massive crowd. I hurried over to them, pulling the horse and my belongings along behind me. Both of his parents smiled warmly at me and embraced me in a quick hug.

Since Dan and I had been friends for the longest of times, they considered me as part of the family, and vice versa. They began to tell us how happy they were that we made it out of the war and how glad they were to have both of us back.

"Where is he?" a raspy voice shouted over the crowd. I cringed as I suddenly recognized it. Before I had a chance to react, my grandfather emerged from behind Dan's parents, his eyes furrowed like always. They then locked onto me, and for the first time in my life, I believed that I saw his expression soften a bit.

But it was short-lived when he approached me and popped me in the back of the head with his hand. "What was the meaning of going off into battle without bothering to tell me? Do you have any idea how much worry you've caused me?" he asked gruffly.

I rubbed the spot on my head where he popped me, and noticed that Dan had a sly grin on his face; he was obviously enjoying my confrontation with my grandfather. I turned back to the old man and said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I first left. I didn't want to cause you any worry or grief with a goodbye."

He closed his eyes and said with a huff of air, "Well, what matters now is that you're back here in one piece." I smiled, knowing that this was the only way that my grandfather could probably show that he cared. Dan's mother clapped her hands together and said cheerfully, "We should celebrate the boys' arrival back home. They've been gone for such a long time. I'm sure you both would appreciate some time to relax and get back accustomed here."

With that truth being said, we began to cut our ways through the crowd of people, which was rather easy when people saw the 900 pound horse behind me. They quickly cleared out of the way so they wouldn't have their feet trampled.

But as we fought against the sea of people, I thought I heard somebody calling my name, so I stopped and looked out into the masses, but saw nobody that I recognized. Dan, his parents, and my grandfather all had stopped walking when they realized I had stopped following them.

Mrs. Kuso asked me, "Is something wrong, dear? Did you leave something on the train?" I shook my head and told her, "I thought I heard somebody calling my name."

I turned back around and began to walk with the others again, and we had almost cleared out the station when, for a fact, I heard my name being shouted. I turned around just in time to have the arms of Alice wrap around my neck.

* * *

this will be another two-part chapter (i can do that now since the war is pretty much over). read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	55. May 1865: Reunion

_Alice_

I was making my daily trek down to the train station for perhaps the sixth time since my arrival in New York to see if today was the day that the soldiers would finally return. I had walked this path through the city so many times within the past week, that I had the route memorized and could probably even walk it at night.

Although, I opted against doing that due to the fact that it these streets turned dangerous once the sun fell and the oil lamps were turned off. As I walked towards the station, I noticed that an unusual amount of people were gathered around up ahead, right about where the station was. My hopes started to build, and my normal-paced walk turned into a run.

When I reached where the masses of people were gathered, I had trouble trying to see over them to see if this really was the soldiers' arrival home. I finally was able to push through enough people an get close enough that I was able to see a soldier walking by. _This is them, _I said to myself. This meant that Shun was somewhere here among all of these people.

All my patience had paid off. I began pushing past people, earning me a curt look from some of them when I bumped into their arms or shoulders. I quickly apologized to them and continued to try and reach the area of the platform where the soldiers were exiting from. As I did, I noticed families that had been separated since the start of the war, finally be reunited.

The emotions that were filling this place was almost overwhelming when one finally saw the kind of effect the was had had on all of these people. And for once, I found someway that I could relate to them. The war had taken a lot from me, but it had also given so much back.

It had given me a new view of the world, taught me to stand up for what I thought was right, and gave to me somebody that I wanted to be with instead of somebody that I was being forced to marry. As my thoughts faded away and I returned to focusing on my task at hand, I caught sight of Shun as he vanished through the crowds.

"Shun!" I shouted and began to push more forcedly through the crowd, ignoring their shouts for me to watch where I was going. I caught a glimpse of Shun again, and saw that he had stopped and was looking out into the crowds. He then shook his head and turned back around and continued to walk out of the station.

I couldn't allow him to slip my sight, for I knew that once he was out of the station and back into the city, my chances of finding him in such a massive place might as well be impossible. With one final push, I broke through the crowd of people and stumbled into an opening that had been made for the soldiers to walk through.

Now, Shun was right in front of me. "Shun!" I shouted again. And just as he turned around to see who was calling his name, I ran up to him, wrapping my arms around his neck, and found that I had tears starting to roll down my cheeks. "Alice?" he asked in a surprised voice. I looked up at him and said with a smile, "Looks like I found you first."

He blinked, as if not entirely sure that I was really here. But his confused and surprised expression quickly turned into a smile, and he returned the embrace that I had given to him. Behind him, I noticed that several people were staring at us, Dan included. The brunette stared at me for a moment and said, "Alice? How in the world did you get here?"

The old man that stood beside Dan, approached Shun and I. He asked, "Shun, who's this?" It suddenly occurred to me that this was most likely a member of his family, and I was overcome with worry about what he would think of me; I would have hated to have come and fought all this way, only to find out that family was going to keep up apart when even a war could not.

Shun motioned to me with his hand and said, "Grandfather, this is Alice." I took the ends of my dress and bowed to a curtsy as a sign of politeness. The gesture was something that was common practice in the South, and I could only assume that the same rules could apply here.

"It's nice to meet you," I said to the old man as I straightened up. His eyes scanned over me as he examined me. He was about to say something, when a woman appeared beside us. She had short brown hair that looked must like Dan's, and I guessed that this was the brunette's mother.

She smiled brightly and said, "How about we all catch up over dinner? Alice, you're more than welcome to join us as well." I smiled and thanked her for her hospitality. She then motioned for us to follow her. As we trailed behind her, we finally exited the station and returned out into the streets.

_Alice_

We finally arrived at Dan's house, and his mother, who I had been told to address as Mrs. Kuso, was working diligently in the kitchen as she prepared dinner. During this time, Shun had fully introduced me to his grandfather, explaining our story and all of what the two of us had gone through throughout the duration of the war.

I was worried that the old man would be apprehensive of me because I was from the South, but when he smiled and chuckled, I eased up a bit. His grandfather said, "I was wondering whenever you'd find yourself a nice girl, Shun." Shun smiled and rolled his eyes jokingly at the old man.

I found my own self smiling, and maybe even a slight blush had decided to make itself home on my cheeks. Shun turned his attention over to me and asked, "Alice, would you like to step outside with me for a moment?" He extended his hand out to me, and I took it, allowing him to help me out of the chair I was sitting in.

He lead me out to the back of the house, where we stepped out onto a small porch that overlooked a large body of water out in the distance. I walked to the edge of the porch and leaned against the railing, and found myself mesmerize by the site. Shun joined my side and gazed out at the water with me. He then glanced at me and said jokingly, "I thought I said that I would find you?"

I smiled and replied, "I figured I'd save you some of the hassle of tracking me down." He chuckled and told me, "Well, I greatly appreciate it." As we stood there against the railing of the porch, a thought crossed my mind. Since it had been Lee's army that had been defeated, that would have meant that Klaus would have been present at the last battle, considering that he had survived up till then.

And somehow, I knew that he had. I smiled sadly and shook my head. "I guess Klaus is on his way back to his plantation then, seeing as Lee's army has been disbursed." Shun's expression suddenly turned somewhat grim, and I couldn't help but sense that something was wrong. "Is everything alright?" I asked worriedly.

He turned around and leaned his back against the railing and sighed heavily. "He's not. I watched him die in battle." I felt my eyes widen in surprise. Klaus was dead? "What happened?" I asked in a rushed voice, eager to know how he had died. It wasn't like I had wished death upon Klaus; I might not have liked him, or even loved him, but I didn't want him to die.

I didn't want anyone to die, for that fact. Shun crossed his arms over his chest and told me, "I had just gotten back into the battle and chased down Klaus to settle an unfinished score between us, and that had been when I really saw who he really was. I couldn't bring myself to kill him or fight him because of the pity I felt for him. So, I tried to talk some sense into him, make him realize that you never loved him and that hanging onto the illusion that you did, was doing nothing but hurting him and you."

Shun let out another heavy sigh, and I could see that something was weighing down on his mind. He then continued. "Well, I finally reached through to him and made him see that I was right, and that was when Jones showed up. You'd remember him as the soldier that tried to hurt you back at the Union camp awhile back."

I shuddered at the memory of that group of soldiers, and at what they had tried to do to me. There was no telling what they would have done if Shun hadn't stepped in and saved me from them. I nodded to let Shun know I remembered them very well. He told me, "You see, Jones had betrayed the Union sometime ago, and joined the Confederacy. He showed up there asking Klaus why he hadn't killed me yet. Things went from there and Jones was trying to kill me, and he might have if Klaus hadn't gave his life to stop him. Alice, he died to make sure that I lived and made it back to you, to make sure that you'd have a life that you'd want."

My mouth had gone dry, and I felt tears starting to form in my eyes. Memories of my time with Klaus began to flash through my mind, even the bad memories when he discovered that I had gone with Shun to that couple's ball. Even after all that had happened between us, Klaus had always been fighting for my happiness, and I felt guilty and bad for not being able to see it until now.

I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders, and I looked up to see Shun. He told me gently, "He died a hero, not a villain." I used the palm of my hand to wipe away the tears that were spilling over my eyes now, and gave Shun a nod to let him know that I understood. I had never really seen Klaus as I bad guy, but there had been times when I wondered.

He had gone into the war, just to kill Shun and get revenge. But I saw now that his real motive had been to get me back because he believed that it would bring me back. The door to the porch opened, and Dan poked his head out. He looked at us and said, "Food's ready, lovebirds." Shun narrowed his eyes at his friend, and I couldn't help but giggle. The two of us left the porch and went back inside of the house to eat.

_Alice_

The food had been great, and when everyone had finished eating their fill, Mrs. Kuso came around and picked up the plates. Dan leaned back in his chair and said contently, "Man, I almost forgot how good food tasted." Shun grinned and said, "Agreed." Dan's mother returned back to her seat at the table.

His father leaned forward a bit and said, "How about you two share some of your war stories with us? I'm sure you've got plenty to tell us." Dan quickly spoke up and began telling us some of his stories. He spoke of how he had gotten shot on several occasions, and when he did, I almost thought his mother might faint from hearing that her son was wounded.

Dan waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "But my stories are nothing in comparison to what Shun's been through. Why don't ya tell them, buddy?" I also wanted to know more about what kind of obstacles Shun had to overcome during the war. He sat there in silence for a moment, staring with cast down eyes at the table.

I told him, "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to." I knew from firsthand experience the horrors of the battlefield, and that they weren't really something that many people would want to relive. Shun sighed and told us, "I guess there's one that I could share." He began to tell us how he had been captured by Klaus and Jones, and was almost killed.

But they had run out of time and decided to take Shun as a prisoner. He spoke of the horrible conditions and treatment that he and the other soldiers there at the prison had to face. He told us about how during his first day there, he stopped the Guards from beating up a young soldier, and in turn, they turned on Shun and nearly killed him right there.

"After that, he and I decided to escape from the prison camp," he said calmly. I could see the darkness clouding up in Shun's eyes as he relived those moments, and I could tell that they might have been the darkest days of his life. He continued with his story and told us that they just barely escaped, but his companion had been shot and died afterwards.

That was when he had set out to return to the battlefield and settle things with Klaus, once and for all. I then realized that that had been what he meant when he was telling about his final stand-off against Klaus. He had mentioned that he had just rejoined the battle, and I thought he had meant that he may have been wounded or something.

Dan leaned back in his chair and said casually, "I told Shun that he had more guts to go through what he did and return to battle than most of the soldiers in the Union." Mrs. Kuso nodded in agreement with her son and said, "There must have been something really important to motivate you to keep going like that."

A faint smile formed on Shun's lips and he told her, "There was." He glanced over at me, and I realized that I had been the motivation. Shun then added, "I should have died several times out there, but I had made a promise, and to keep it, I had to stay alive." I had been the reason that Shun was determine to stay alive, to keep on fighting, and to return home. I was that reason.

Shun's grandfather glanced up at a clock and stated, "Aye, it's getting rather late. I suppose I'll have to find an inn to stay at for the night and go back home in the morning." He stood up, bidding us all a farewell. He stopped at me and said, "It was nice to meet you, Miss Alice." I smiled, glad to know that I had the old man's approval.

Shun and I left shortly after his grandfather. As we walked down the streets, he asked me, "So, where are you staying?" I pointed towards the other side of town and told him, "At an inn over that way." He nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"I don't even know if my house will still be there. I'm sure looters have broken in by now and robbed the place clean. Not like there was much in there anyway." I smiled and said to him, "Why don't you stay at the inn with me then? I'm sure the innkeeper will give you a discount or something for being a soldier and just returning home. I mean, she let me stay there for free until you all came back." He smiled at me and said, "I might just have to take you up on that offer."

* * *

i'm sorry if something is wrong with the font. it appears that it's smaller than it supposed to be. (at least on my document manager). it might be normal when the chapter is uploaded. :/ oh well. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	56. June 1865: A Bright Future

_Shun_

Alice and I sat side-by-side in a train car. After our reunion last month, she had mentioned that she wanted to go back to her old home and check on how things were moving along there after the last remnants of the war faded away. She also wanted to check and see if the town was still there, for she had heard rumors a while back that when Sherman was going East on his Atlanta Campaign, he had set fire to much of the South, burning entire cities and plantations as he passed through.

Suddenly, Dan, who had been sitting behind us, leaned forward and said, "Thanks again for letting me tag along with you guys." Alice smiled and told him, "No problem, Dan. I think it's sweet that you want to let Runo know that you made it out of the war." Dan waved his hand around nonchalantly and said, "Well, I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that my current state is unknown to somebody who is concerned about me."

I rolled my eyes and glanced at him over my shoulder. "Just admit that you like her and that's the only reason you're coming with us," I said stoically. Dan's eyes widened in surprise. He retorted with, "I thought I explained to you that I don't like her. She's too stubborn for my liking."

I raised one of my eyebrows and said under my breath, "Sounds like you two are made for each other then, if that's the case." Dan leaned further over the seat and snapped, "Hey! I heard that!" Alice giggled and said to us, "Alright, you two. Play nice." Dan let out a huff of air and sat back down in his seat.

I chuckled and shook my head. "He still won't admit he likes her," I stated with slight disbelief. Behind me, I heard Dan growl, meaning that he had heard my remark. At the front of the train car, the conductor appeared and informed us that we would be arriving at our stop soon. I said under my breath, "Thank heavens. I was beginning to wonder how much longer I would have to hear him complain."

I then felt the back of my seat get kicked, and turned around the see that Dan was pretending to act innocent and like he had done nothing. He looked at me and said, "What? My foot slipped." I narrowed my eyes at him and turned back around without saying anything. Out in the distance, I saw our designated train station coming into view. Alice was staring at it and said, "I never thought I'd return here so soon."

I placed my hand over hers and told her, "I'm sure everything will be fine." She smiled at me, a sign that let me know that she believed me. The train began to apply its brakes, and ever so slowly, we pulled to a perfect stop at the station platform. The doors to the train car opened, and the three of us gathered our belongings that we had brought with us for the short trip back South.

I found it strange that even though the war was pretty much over, and we were no longer fighting, that we still continued to travel; I was sure that my days of traveling great distances would be over for a while. We stepped off the train, and I felt a sense of relief to finally stretch my legs again after the long ride.

The three of us then began the short walk to Alice's hometown, knowing that it wouldn't be long till we found out if it had been burned to the ground like so many other Southern towns and cities. It didn't take us but a little under half and hour till we finally saw the outline of the town. Alice smiled and let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness. It looks like everything is still standing." I also felt a sense of relief knowing this. It meant that Alice's home was still there, and I didn't have to watch her suffer and grieve over the loss of the place that she had grown up in. We strode into the town, and I found that things were very much like I remembered them from my first time here.

The only difference I spotted was that the faces of the citizens appeared to be rather melancholy, most likely over their defeat in the war. They knew that things were about to change; from their livelihood to their everyday routines. Some people caught sight of us as they walked by, and I picked up on some of their whispers.

They were talking about Alice, and all I could figure was that they were surprised to see her back her after her betrayal to the Confederacy. But the Confederacy had fallen, and she could no longer be prosecuted for treason. She had no reason to be fearful of the people that had once been her enemies, for they could not longer hurt her, even if they tried.

And if they, then I wouldn't allow it. Alice looked to Dan and I and said, "I guess we need to go ahead and find Runo and Julie." Dan and I nodded and followed behind her, letting her lead the way since she knew this place much better than either one of us. And it didn't take long for us to locate her two friends.

They had just left out of a store, and the moment Alice caught sight of them, she shouted their names and ran to them. Her two friends, who had both been carrying bags of something, dropped their items and ran to Alice, meeting her halfway. The three of them embraced in a hug. When they broke the hug, I saw that they had tear stains streaking down their faces.

Runo wiped her tears away and smiled. "What are you doing back here? We thought you weren't going to come back," the bluenette asked. Julie nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah. You even mentioned in your letter that you weren't going to." Alice smiled and told them, "I guess I had a change of heart. That, and I wanted to see if the town was still here because I heard rumors that Sherman had burned many a city to the ground."

Runo motioned to the buildings behind her and said, "Well, as you can see, we've remained untouched. Although, some of the surrounding Plantations were burned to the ground by either Sherman or by several rogue groups of Union soldiers." Beside me, I heard the sound of a bell chiming over a door, and looked to see a guy about my age with shoulder-length blonde hair step out. His eyes locked onto Alice, and he ran across the street to her.

"Alice? Is that really you?" he asked. She turned and saw him, her own eyes widening. "Billy!" she said with a smile. The two hugged each other for a short moment, then went on about how they hadn't seen each other since he was drafted when the war began. Julie clapped her hands together and said brightly, "Oh, yeah! Billy finally returned back home from the war a couple of weeks ago!"

The silver-haired girl then proceeded to wrap her arms around him, and for a moment, I thought she might accidentally choke the poor guy. But he didn't seem to mind or even attempt to pry her off. In fact, he appeared to be enjoying her embrace. Runo, who had still been talking with Alice, finally noticed Dan standing beside me.

Her eyes widened a bit and she asked curiously, "You're here too?" I smiled and told her, "I told him about how you appeared to be worried about him when I was here, and he decided to tag along to let you know that he was okay." The ever slightest blush crossed her face when I told her this.

"Oh, really?" she asked awkwardly but tried to keep her composure normal. Dan, who I also saw was blushing slightly, told her, "Uh, yeah. I'm just caring like that." I rolled my eyes, still wondering how he could say that he didn't like her. Runo shook her head and turned back to Alice and told her, "Why don't you all come with me to my house and we can finish catching up there? You're all also more than welcome to stay the night too. I'm sure my parents won't mind." With that being said, Runo led us back to her house.

_Alice_

When we reached Runo's house, her parents had been more than welcome for us to come inside. They told me how glad they were that I was back, and offered their apologies for all of the problems that had befallen me before I left. While we were all gathered around in the living room, we finished catching up.

Shun let my two friends know what happened after he left their care, and I told them of my stay up in Kentucky and Ohio. After I shared all that I felt was of any relevance, Runo and Julie began to inform me of what else happened in my absence. Julie, who was eager to tell me her stories, told me about when Billy came back home and what he did.

Apparently, the moment he stepped off the train and found her, he fulfilled Julie's lifelong dream of him proposing to her. I congratulated her on her engagement, truly happy for her. But when all was said and done, we all turned in for the night. We all had our own guest room, and even though I wanted to share one with Shun, the beds just weren't big enough for two people.

So, I had to settle for the one next to him. But as the night went on, I found myself in a semi-restless sleep. On several occasions, I woke up but immediately fell back asleep. My sleep was a dreamless one, and it was almost like I was aware of all of my surroundings, even though I was out cold. But the last time that I woke up, was right at dawn, and I had been unable to get back to sleep.

I walked over to my window and looked outside, finding the sun was trying to break through storm clouds that had moved in over the town. I then got an idea, and decided to execute it while everyone was asleep, for I wanted to do this on my own.

I slipped out of my nightclothes and into an extra dress that I had brought with me, and as I left out of the house, I snatched up on umbrella, just in case I got caught out in the rain. From there, I set out on the road, remembering the route to the Antebellum home that almost became my very own home.

_Alice_

It didn't seem like it took long, but I was sure the walk was about an hour's worth, but I finally reach my destination. Now, I stood before the charred remains of Klaus' mansion. Apparently, Sherman's men had burned down the Plantation while on their March To The Sea. I realized that almost every remnant of Klaus' very existence, was virtually gone, and the sheer memory of him was the only thing that seemed to remain.

Seeing the skeletal structure of the Antebellum home, I recalled how it stood in its former glory, and I approached the blackened pile of wood that covered a good sized piece of land. The stair, which had been made of marble, still stood where they had been. They were covered with debris and ashes, but they appeared to be untouched by the ravenous flames that consumed this place not too long ago.

Seeing them there, leading up to nothing, made me think of them as a stairway to heaven, a way to reach the sky, rather than the door to a home. I continued my walk around the old structure, and found myself at where the garden was. It was completely untouched, not even a single burned blade of grass.

Somehow, it had been spared from all the other carnage. I stepped into the garden, remembering how this had been my favorite place in all of the Plantation. This place had been my escape from everything else that was going wrong in the world. The fountain in the center of the garden still had running water going through its system, but it hadn't been cleaned in a while, and the water was starting to turn green.

Suddenly, I felt a drop of water land on my shoulder, and when I looked up, I saw that it was beginning to rain. Quickly, I popped open the umbrella I brought with me, shielding myself from the pouring rain. I continued my walk around in the garden, and saw that one of the rose bushes that Klaus had planted shortly after our engagement, had a single, bright red rose in full bloom.

I walked up to the flower, remembering how he had been rather fond of this plant alone. Carefully, I reached down and broke it off the stem, being sure that I didn't prick one of my fingers on its thorns. Then, I turned back around and faced the fountain, and gently laid the flower on the edge of the stone structure, turning it from a decoration to a memorial to the person that once lived here.

I felt tears starting to form in my eyes, and before I realized it, they were overflowing from my eyes. "Thank you," I said under my breath, "for everything, Klaus." As I stared into the greenish water of the fountain and watched the ripples form from raindrops, I saw a reflection slowly form.

I turned around and saw Shun standing behind me. "What are you doing here?" I asked while wiping the tears from my eyes. He approached me and stepped under the umbrella with me to escape the rain and told me, "I heard you leave Runo's this morning and followed you to make sure everything was alright."

I smiled at him, feeling glad that I had somebody to look out for me. He then glanced down at the rose that I placed on the fountain, then back at me.

"Don't worry. I promise you that you'll have a future that is better than your past. And I keep my promises," Shun told me with a slight smile. I smiled back and told him, "I know." And just like the world heard his promise to me about a bright future, the rain stopped, and the sun broke through the storm clouds.

* * *

i think there may be one more chapter, and that'll be it. then, i'll finally be done with this story and can move on to the next, which was selected in the poll. and that story will be -drum roll-..._Take Me To Wonderland!_ The people have spoken! read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	57. July 1865: New Beginnings

_Shun_

The loud popping of a corked bottle opening was followed by a round of applause, and glasses of champagne were poured in equal amounts in glasses. It was a time for celebration. It was our wedding. Alice, who was standing by me in her white wedding gown, took one of the glasses of champagne and lifted it eye level to her face and said, "A toast, to new beginnings."

People lifted their glasses in return and said, "Cheers." Over across one of the garden tables, Runo and Julie had been talking, and they suddenly called Alice over. She told me that she'd be right back and went to go and see what it was that her friends wanted from her.

I smiled and watched her go over to them, then took a seat at one of the tables. My feet were killing me from standing during the ceremony, and I was thankful that I finally had an opportunity to take a break from it all. _At least the weather is nice, _I thought to myself with a smile.

The sun was out and shining brightly, the temperature was comfortable, and there was hardly a cloud in sight. As I sat at the table, I saw Joe walking up to me out of the corner of my eye. He was still on crutches from where his leg had been injured during the war, but that little obstacle didn't seem to slow him down the least bit.

Accompanying him, was his wife, Chan. Joe smiled at me and said, "Thanks for the invite. I was starting to think you and Dan might have forgotten about me." I chuckled and told him, "Believe me, I don't think that would have happened anytime soon."

He laughed nervously and turned to face back out at the guests that were standing around. "Quite the turnout, huh?" he asked, using the glass of champagne in his hand to motion to the number of people in attendance to the wedding. I hadn't given the number of guests much thought, but now that it had been mentioned, there were a good many.

Mainly it was close friends of mine and Alice's, and family. And much to Alice's surprise, her parents also came to the wedding. It kind of caught me off guard as well, seeing as Alice had told me all these stories about how her parents wanted her to marry some plantation owner that was well-off with money so she could live comfortably.

And there was also the bad blood that had formed between them after her engagement with Klaus came to an end and she began to do things they didn't approve of. And yet, they came anyway, despite all that happened, and despite that I wasn't exactly what they had in mind for their daughter's future.

But a war hadn't kept us apart, and I definitely wasn't about to let family issues get in the way. I had gone through way too much to live and see this day. I continued to scan the crowd of people that had come to celebrate this day with Alice and I, and I found Dan had pulled Runo away from the conversation she had been having with Julie and Alice.

The two talked for a bit, and suddenly, I saw Runo smile and nod; Dan was smiling as well. The bluenette then ran back over to her friends, most likely resuming their previous conversation. Dan then looked over in my direction and saw me, and as if he had thought of something, he hurried over to where I was sitting.

"There you are, buddy," he said and sat down across from me at the table. I raised a brow and said to him, "I've been in this area all day. It's not like there's anywhere else more important for me to be right now." Dan laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Right," he said with a grin.

His grin then turned into a slightly smile, and he leaned back in his seat and he began to look around at the decorations and set-up. "Man, I never thought I'd live to see the day that you got hitched," he said in a pretend surprised tone.

I rolled my eyes and said jokingly, "Well, if either of us had been killed in the war, then neither of us would have ever seen it." Dan chuckled and nodded in agreement. A moment of silence passed between the two of us before he spoke again. "You know, we should really consider ourselves lucky that we got out of the war in one piece. I mean, look at how some people came out. Many can't even walk or see anymore."

It was a bit surreal when you thought about it, but it was a reality that had to be accepted. There obviously was something on our side during the war that had kept us safe, whether it was faith or determination to live, I didn't know for sure.

What I did know, was that I was very grateful to have been so fortunate. Numerous things could have gone wrong and cut my life short; one stray bullet or even another day in that prison camp. Regardless, none of those things ever came to fruition, and because of that,

I was here now and getting ready to enjoy a new future for myself. While I had been lost in my thoughts, I hadn't noticed Joe had returned to our table and sat between Dan and I until I heard him ask if he minded if he sat with us. Dan told him, "I don't care. What about you, buddy?"

I shook off the last of my thoughts and said, "Huh? Oh, I don't mind. You should know that." Joe smiled and set his crutches against the table and slowly lowered himself into the chair. Dan, staring at the crutches, shook his head and told Joe, "I still don't know how you can deal with that."

Joe shrugged his shoulders and told Dan, "Honestly, it all has to deal with how badly you want to keep going on with life as normally as possible. I know of many people back home that have returned from the war missing legs or arms, and they look like they would have preferred to have died on the battlefield. I'm not like them though. I'm not going to give up just because things might have changed for the worse."

I felt that truer words had never been spoken before. I knew for a fact that obstacles would always pop up, that things wouldn't always be perfect, and when they did, the best thing that I could ever do would be to keep on going.

If I had given up during the war or when I was in the prison camp, I would have never returned to battle and confronted Klaus for the last time. Dan might have also been killed by the hands of Klaus or Jones, whichever got to him first.

The present day that I was living in, would have looked much different than it did now. This garden wouldn't be decorated for a wedding, and if there was, then I wouldn't be for mine and Alice's. Again, I had zoned out from my surroundings and let my thoughts take over, and when I returned back to reality, I realized that Joe and Dan had been chitchatting away.

Dan then snapped his fingers and said, "Oh, yeah! I almost forgot! I've got something important to tell you guys!" Joe and I glanced at one another, both of us obviously wondering what had gotten into the brunette. Dan took in a deep breath, waited a moment before speaking, and told us, "I'm moving to the South to be with Runo."

Joe and I were both surprised by the sudden announcement. "That's great, Dan. Congrats," Joe said with a smile. Dan turned his attention to me and asked, "What do you think about it, Shun?" I grinned and told him, "I think it's great that you finally admit that you two like each other. It only took almost the entire duration of the war."

Dan narrowed his eyes at me, then began to wave his hand in the air nonchalantly. "Whatever. And don't miss me too much, buddy. I promise to keep in touch." I took a sip of my champagne and said jokingly, "Who said I was going to miss you and your loud mouth?"

Dan clutched his chest dramatically and said, "Your words hurt, Shun. Right here." The three of us laughed and sat around the table, continuing to joke around at each other's expenses.

_Alice_

There possibly couldn't have been a better day than this. All of the waiting and pain that I had endured the past few years, had finally come to an end and this was my reward; happiness. A little while ago, Julie and Runo had called me over to talk to them.

They were telling me how great everything looked and were congratulating me on my marriage. I had smiled at this, still unable to believe that this was really happening. It all felt like a dream, and if it was, then I had no desire to wake from it; I would have hated to wake up and find out that the war was still going on, and that none of this had happened.

A moment later, Dan had pulled Runo away from us, leaving Julie and I to ourselves. Julie said to me, "I wonder what those two are talking about now." I shrugged my shoulders and replied, "As long as they don't start an argument, I could really care less." Julie giggled and nodded in agreement.

It wasn't but a minute or so later that Runo came running back to us, a wide smile on her face. Julie asked her, "What's gotten into you?" Runo clasped her hands together and said happily, "Dan's moving to the South so he can be closer to me." Julie and I congratulated her, and I couldn't help but think that it took them long enough to finally get to this stage in their relationship.

Apparently last month, one had been created between the two, and it had been a major surprise to all of us. But everyone had come to terms with the two being together. Although, I could have lived happily without their constant bickering. I sighed contently and looked over to see that Shun, Dan, and Joe were sitting at a table.

The three appeared to be having a great time talking to one another, occasionally laughing at a joke that somebody must have made. I turned my attention back to Runo and Julie and told them, "I think I'm going to go and walk around on my own for a bit. Enjoy the fresh air, ya know?"

The two girls nodded and I took the opportunity to get away. I walked over to a less crowded area and took in a deep breath. A caterer walked past and asked if I wanted anything to drink, and I politely declined, allowing him to finish making his rounds.

I gazed out to look at the wedding, and I found myself smiling. It was all that I could have ever asked for, and then some. My friends and family were here, and that meant the world to me. Especially my family. I had informed them of my engagement when it first happened, and they requested an invite to the wedding, much to my surprise.

They explained that they wanted to wash away all the bad blood between us and start things anew. I smiled, happy to have my parents back, not the people that they used to be that I despised. They had even made the comment that the decorations and set-up for the wedding was better than anything they could have thought of.

And when they said that, I thought of what a wedding created by their hands might have looked like. I tried to picture it, knowing that if they had their input in it, it would have been my wedding to Klaus that never happened. Would it have looked like this? Or something like it? Perhaps.

But I was sure that I wouldn't have been nowhere near as happy as I was now. I then began to wonder that if Klaus hadn't died in the war, would I have invited him to my wedding? Shun had told me that he got through to Klaus and made him see the error in his ways, freeing me from his vengeful wrath.

_But that still doesn't mean that he might have accepted the invite, _I told myself. But somehow, I had a feeling that he was in attendance. That somewhere, he was probably looking down, glad to know that I was finally happy, and that it was all cause of his sacrifice. "Alice!" a voice called to me.

I looked over and saw Julie run up to me. She told me, "It's time for the bride and groom's first dance together." I hadn't realized that the time had gone by so quickly. I nodded to Julie and allowed her to escort me to an area that had been cleared for our dance.

Shun was already waiting for me in the center of the space. He extended his hand out to me and said, "Care to dance, malady?" I smiled and took his hand. This reminded me of our first time together at the couple's ball, dancing and enjoying each other's company.

That had been a day of happiness for me, and escape from all that was wrong in the world. And now, this was another day of happiness. Except, this time, everything was right with the world, and it would be for many more years to come. This was a new beginning not only for me, but for everyone.

For Dan and Runo, my parents, and countless other people. Even the nation that had been divided by hatred and war, was now being sewn back together as we danced. And I had a feeling, that all these new beginnings could only mean that the future would be just as grand. And it would be, as long as I had Shun by my side.

* * *

and it is done! i hope you all enjoyed it. it certainly wasnt an easy task for me to write (perhaps the hardest story i've ever written). note to anyone attempting to write a historically accurate story like this, i suggest that you don't unless you are really serious about it. it's not for the faint of heart, and it took a lot out of me, which is saying something. but it is very enriching. it teaches you history, and i swear that i know more about the Civil War than people that were in the Civil War knew. o.o well, i'll get started on my next story either tomorrow or sometime later in the week. Read, Review, and other things! ~Copperpelt~


End file.
